Lines in the Sand
by FenixOfTheDark
Summary: [IR-Verse] Dark AU, Gameverse. In a world where pokemon are seen not as friends, but tools and weapons, a rookie Trainer starts out on a Journey, unaware of the path, or twists, destiny will take. As far as they know, they're on an adventure. They're not exactly wrong...
1. Chapter 1

**Overall Fic Warnings:**  
\- This is part of a larger dark AU of the Pokemon Gameverse known as IR-verse, and will contain moralities that seems strange to modern day eyes and includes explicit and institutionalised animal abuse as a part of life. If the above ideas squick you, then please don't read any further.  
\- It includes realistic elements that include how pokemon are visualised, and may draw on some anime elements to better flesh the world out.  
\- Dialogue will use the Japanese names of people/places/attacks etc, and narration will use the English names. Some translation notes will be provided at the end of each chapter if the Japanese and English name match-up was not made clear.  
\- Pokemon heights, weights, behaviour, etc. are all personal headcanons.  
\- There will be concepts introduced that will not be explained until later chapters. Please understand this.

 **Chapter Warnings:**  
\- The death of OCs and pokemon. Semi-graphic

 ** _Prologue: Capture and Death._**

The stench was a horrid mix of blood, viscera, and excrement. Thick enough to choke each breath. All of it hung heavily in the air like an unwanted lover. Bodies littered the ground the vast majority of them female. Sisters, aunts, cousins. Mothers and daughters. Only two remained alive, and only one of them had a pokemon.

"Noku-" The redhead of the pair coughed, blood dripping from between her lips. She was lucky enough to be still alive, unlike her younger sister. Ruki had died screaming at the same time as her kadabra, caught in the psychic backlash in a way that only a true telepath could be, while Kiza, their favoured cousin, had been cut in half, her arcanine drowned. In turn, the cloyster responsible had been shelled and roasted before the monferno doing it had become prey to an arbok. That, in turn, had been shot.

It had been an ambush, and in less than five minutes they'd been felled. Perhaps it was a mercy they'd managed to kill as many as they had, but it hadn't been enough. In the end, the Rockets had overwhelmed them via sheer numbers, and the deployed Anti-Psychic-Field had only hindered them. If they'd been faster, more aware of the surroundings, then they could have warned Mew. She could have gotten to safety.

To borrow a crude Orren phrase: Meloetta perish the Rockets with song.

Her only remaining pokemon, a cacturne, was half dead.

But. She had to try. Duty compelled her onwards. They had to free the Goddess from the Rockets at any cost; failure meant death. "Iaigiri-"

The cacturne struggled to comply with the order; it missed the target, spinning with a low growl as it tried again.

"Roundhouse Kick," one of their attackers drawled. The grunt's hitmonlee complied, its foot connecting solidly with the poor creature as it came in for another attempt at Cut. The force of the roundhouse was enough to paralyse, and the following kicks only sealed the grass/dark's gruesome death.

As if that wasn't enough, a semi-feral looking electrode scuttled into view. Another grunt followed, a smirk firmly in place. "Electric Shock."

"Wha- Ayu-cha-" The second survivor, a brunette screamed. Just far enough away to be useless, she could only watch as electricity arced through the air and connected with the redhead. She screamed, forced to her hands and knees, and she barely caught her breath when the hitmonlee's foot connected solidly with her gut. The woman was thrown back half-a-metre, coughing great globs of blood.

The Rocket grunt turned to the brunette while the rest fanned out, some of them shooting the dead in the head. "We have Myū."

" _Through trickery_!"

The grunt rolled his eyes. "One last time. Where are the rest of you?"

"I won't tell you," the brunette shook her head, eyes looking past the carnage of the battlefield, to the APF Mew had been trapped in, and the blazing eyes of pain-filled hatred.

"Really?"

She smiled sharply. "I'm a _Priestess_."

"Naturally," the grunt gestured to the electrode with a put-upon sigh. The giant electric pillbug coiled to resemble an inverted pokeball, and Ayu screamed again as another jolt of electricity hit her. "Humans can withstand about ten amps. The marumain's shocking at... Hmm," he made a so-so gesture. "Two amps."

"I won't tell you," the brunette spat as she darted towards Ayu-

Only to be caught in the coils of some sort of snake-like creature. It was impossible to tell what it was- maybe from Unova or Alola or Orre. She struggled, attempting to get free yet all that did was tighten the grip until she could barely breathe. "I'd rather _die_ than betray my Goddess."

"And yet," the snake's owner said, hand on her hip while the other one gestured towards Mew. She was a woman with dyed purple hair, dressed in the mini-dress-and-tights with practical white boots. A high ranking Rocket. "Your 'Goddess' was captured, and our 'field holds it. It's just another pokemon in the end."

Within the cage, Mew's eyes flashed bright blue as a snarl-hiss ripped its way out of the pink cat-creature's throat. The woman laughed, blue eyes glinting coldly. Ayu shook her head, having managed to push herself to her knees at least. "K-Kiyam-mi is- ri-right. N-not just- Myū-sama is- m-more th-"

Whatever Ayu was going to say was cut off by a scream, her body convulsing as another Thunder Shock hit her. She hit the ground with a thump. The only thing that marked her as still alive was the whimper as the hitmonlee paced around her. Waiting for a signal, Kiyami realised with horror. A signal to kill that was granted with a simple, emotionless command from the grunt. "Infight."

The hitmonlee's eyes glowed a metallic red as it moved in to attack the defenceless woman, ignoring Kiyami's desperate shrieks of denial. It only took two kicks until Ayu's chest was a mess of bone and gore.

Kiyami emptied her stomach to the point of dry-heaving, mind almost shutting down as she witnessed yet another death of a cousin- of a close friend. Tears trickled down her face as she fought to breathe, to do anything that would get her free to at least go down fighting. "You bastards- I won't talk-"

"You will," the female Rocket said as she snapped her fingers. A young woman, maybe twenty-five at best, walked forth, a haggard-looking hypno trailing after her. "Miriam-san, if you'd please."

"Yes, Ma'am. Surīpā, Hypnosis," Miriam ordered softly, pointing at the struggling form of Kiyami. The pokemon lumbered forth, pendulum swinging as it started the attack. Try as she might, Kiyami was no match against the hypnotic need to sleep and soon slumped against the coils, breathing shallow but far from restful.

Miriam was calm as she walked up to the young woman. A hand against Kiyami's head gave the telepath added stability as she tore through the mind and its defences, looking for anything of use. Her eyes flickered once to Mew's cage when the pokemon rattled against it, eyes glowing almost neon-blue as it spat, hissed, yowled and otherwise expressed its displeasure. Miriam ignored it. The creature wouldn't escape. Nothing ever escaped Anti-Psychic Fields. Not when they were based off what gave dark-types their immunity.

Kiyami whimpered in her sleep, but that was nothing. Likely a result of the mind-rape. Miriam felt nothing towards her victim, not even a sense of pity as she tore apart the mental shields that housed what she sort. A mental nudge to wake Kiyami -nevermind the body seemed to be slowly shutting down- and Miriam stepped back. This part of her task was an unfortunate side effect of dealing with the Priestesses. Poor things always expired after giving up the information they fought so hard to protect. "I have what we need."

"Well?"

"We should strike in three days. Kiyami's mind claims that's when they'll all be gathered." Why didn't matter.

"Perfect." The commander's face split into a horrifying smile as she ignored Kiyami's rapid hyperventilation as the woman started to go into seizures. The snake wasn't even squeezing that hard. "We did get footage?"

"Yes," a grunt confirmed, holding up the handheld vidcam. "What of the bodies?"

"The local airmd will deal with them," the woman said with a flick of her hand, pointing at Mew briefly before it dropped to her side. "We have what we need. Put the footage out on the 'net. Youtube or the Vines. I want the capture _spread_."

"Ma'am." The grunts nodded as they recalled their pokemon with flashes of multicoloured beams until only the snake coiled around Kiyami remained, seemingly supporting the gasping, seizing woman through what looked to be death-throws of some kind.

Then, the snake was recalled, the woman dropping to the ground like a sack of tubers as the Rocket Officer motioned for several grunts to collect the APF-cage Mew was in and load it into the waiting helicopter. Miyamoto watched on, eyes cold, hard, ignoring Mew's shrieks. An Immortal was just another pokemon and the Rockets now had it in their grasp. They'd study it, find out what made it tick. Perhaps they could even try creating their own Immortal. Wouldn't that be grand, and the Boss would be pleased, she thought as the Adachi woman at her feet continued to seizure.

The glint of a watch caught her eye, and Miyamoto ripped it off the dying woman's wrist. "Musa-chan'll like this."

She turned and headed for the helicopter.

* * *

Emika blinked as the child as thrust into her arms. "What-"

She'd been called to check on the seven-month pregnant Merei, not whatever _this_ was.

"Take Hinata! _Please_!" Konako was wide-eyed and frantic, face imploring and urgent. "Keep her safe. Please. _Whatever the cost_."

"Y-yes?" the nurse said as the worried woman pushed her up the stairs and into the cobwebbed and musty attic.

" _Hide_!" She hissed, rolling a pokeball after them. It came to a stop, then popped open. Emika didn't see what came out of it, other than a vague ghost shape and her confusion didn't last long as screams and shouts reached her ears along with the chilling shrieks of 'APF'. A look back at Konako only showed the ice cold determination of a mother to protect her child.

Then, the attic door shut and locked.

The nurse paused long enough to grab the key before retreating into an old closet at the back, praying to Arceus that they would survive whatever was happening.

Praying that whatever ghost had been released was enough.

Seconds seemed as minutes that seemed as hours. Her heart pounded in her ears, each beat as loud as thunder and twice as worse, seemingly to accentuate the chill in the air brought on by the ghost-type released to defend them.

Her own pokemon was worthless; there was no way any psychic could teleport through an APF. She swallowed. Thank Arceus Hinata was quiet, hardly a whimper from the child. That was a good thing- more so when the sound of the attic door hitting the floor reverberated throughout the room.

Emika closed her eyes as three sets of footsteps slowly entered.

"Y'really think anyone would be up here?" The voice was male, rough. Sevii or Cinnabar, she thought. Or from the Orange Islands.

"We gotta at least _say_ we looked," another said, this one with a distinct Silver-town accent. Light, airy, yet as hard as the mountains around the town.

"We did. Can we get back down now?" The first male said, apparently bored. "There's a pretty girl I wanna have _fun_ with 'fore I strangle her good."

"Mind if we have fun too?" A third voice asked. This one was laced with Johto accent. The trio of Rockets sniggered. "Quick sweep then we go back for the _fun_."

Emika swallowed down the bile in her mouth. She knew what they meant, and it was hard to keep her breathing shallow and as silent as possible. They sounded like low-level grunts; the dumb kind, but she wouldn't give herself away. Not when she protected an innocent child.

She'd seen the aftermath of what they could do to babies.

Again, seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours as the grunts made a half-hearted attempt of searching the room.

"Arctiblasted, why's it so cold up here?" One of the grunts hissed, teeth chattering.

"I don't fucking kno- Blast- what was that?"

The steps paused. Emika held her breath, willing them to go away. She didn't want to be found. Please no, please no-

"Shit - Yūrei!" One of them shouted, using the incorrect term for a ghost-type. Yūrei was more non-pokemon ghost, and Emika did not want to think about why they'd used that. It was safer on her sanity.

"Let's get out of here!" The first Rocket shouted. The three of them made a hasty retreat, panicked voices mingling together until they faded away from the attic. Even so, Emika refused to rest easy until she knew they were gone, wrapping her shawl around the four-day-old child in an effort to keep her warm. If she knew what type of ghost Konako had sent out, perhaps it'd be easier...

But did it matter? She- Hinata- was safe.

She must have fallen into an uneasy sleep as the knock on the closet door had her jumping, heart in throat.

"I'll show you my badge. Please do not be alarmed," a female voice said. The door cracked open and Emika bit her tongue to keep her fright under control. A badge shone in the dim light, angled to show it was real.

After several seconds, she pushed the door open. She saw several female police officers along with two pokemon, nary a male in sight.

It wasn't odd.

"We'll take you to the station," one said, offering her a thermal blanket. The nurse accepted, not even noticing it hid the sleeping baby in her arms, nor that the officer was Saffron accented and no younger than twenty-seven. All Emika cared for was warming herself and the child in her arms.

"I'd like that," Emika muttered, allowing the officers to guide her out what she assumed was the back entrance. It was an easy mistake to make when one wasn't familiar with the hidden passageways build into the ancient clan-housing of the Old Families.

She didn't question it, nor did she think the presence of the chimecho and ninetails odd. Police used all kinds of pokemon. She followed docilely, failing to notice how the chimecho's eyes glowed faintly, or that almost everything she was seeing now was an illusion cast by the ninetails that followed behind them.

Hours later they walked into a building, she easily assumed it to be an actual police station. After all, the ones on TV could hardly be trusted. She didn't notice when her charge was taken from her arms, nor when she walked into the long spike of a replica cloyster.

Junko Hideaki refused to look away and the chimecho at her side thrilled softly, sadly.

"I know." This part of Duty wasn't pleasant. She nodded mutely, allowing the gengar that had followed them to feast on the dying soul. They'd deal with it later; likely return it to the house to keep it safe from nosy outsiders.

"Aunty?"

Junko shook her head, offering something of a reassuring smile to the girl. At six years old, Sabrina was deemed old enough to start to see what Duty truly entailed. Yet, she was only six, and she clung to the baby abra in her arms, half watching the feasting gengar, half hiding.

"Kyuu'll burn the body after the gengar's finished," Junko said, eyes flicking to Erin, then to the baby her older sister cradled.

"Good. What of Hinata-chan?"

"If we don't hide her..." Junko started. "Then it's likely we'll lose her too."

"Our own Bloodline split from them..." Erin started, then cocked her head to the side. "No. You're right. It's better she grow up in hiding. You already have a plan."

"I do. Ne, Natsu-chan. Please don't do that," Junko said tiredly as Sabrina bounced up and down, now apparently trying to peer at the baby in her mother's arms.

"I can't help it, aunty. I can't See..." Sabrina sniffed, burying her face against the abra. "It's weird. Is Myū-sama blocking it?"

"I don't know," Junko answered honestly. "Perhaps you should go to your father, Natsu-chan."

Sabrina's shoulders hunched, but she nodded. "Y-Yea. Papa- Papa knows what's best. Mama? M-May I go?"

"Yes. Please be careful when leaving, Natsume."

"I will. Thank you. Bye." Sabrina and her abra gave a short bow before scampering out the room.

"You've found a family then?" Erin asked, eyeing the pokegear in Junko's hand. The same one she'd been talking into recently in the last few hours.

"I have. They were on the foster list. They've a ten-month-old son, but they've agreed to adopt on short notice," Junko said with a small smile. To anyone else, this would have been an odd, if not impossible question. To the Priestesses, it was an expected question. "They live here in Kuchiba. The husband's a dockworker, the mother a housewife."

"Their name?"

"Kasahara, Junko said. "They are good people."

Erin nodded, closing her eyes with an exhale. "You know what needs to be done. Do it. I- We- will not see a baby slaughtered for a thing she doesn't understand. Not now, not a few years down the road. Not ever. In the meantime, we'll look for Myū, try and free her."

"But the ritual?"

Erin shook her head. "We cannot risk it."

Junko bowed, deep and low. "I understand, aneue."

* * *

 **Clarifications.** The main criteria for this are if I do not make it clear within the narrative at some point.  
 _Iaigiri_ \- Cut; [HM01]  
 _Roundhouse Kick_ \- Rolling Kick  
 _Electric Shock_ \- Thunder Shock  
 _Infight_ \- Close Combat  
 _Surīpā_ \- Kantan pronunciation of hypno's Japanese name.  
 _Arctiblasted_ \- A rather strong away of taking Articuno's name in vain; suspected to be Unovan in origin.  
 _Marumain_ \- Kantan pronunciation of electrode's Japanese name  
 _Airmd_ \- Johtan pronunciation of skarmory's Japanese name.  
 _Kuchiba_ \- Vermilion (city); the Kasahara's lived here for another year or so before moving to Fuchsia when the husband was transferred.  
 _aneue_ \- a formal and respectful way of referring to one's older sister. English doesn't exactly have an equivalent, hence choosing to keep it in.


	2. ONE - the adventure sort-of starts

**Warnings**  
-A fourteen-year-old's view of explicit and institutionalised animal abuse as a part of life.  
-Implied ethnocentric views.

* * *

Even over the headset plugged into the laptop propped up against her legs, Fumiko still found the laugh of a gengar bone-and-bloodchillingly eerie, like some demented, distorted shriek of a gardevior as it tore open a 'black hole' in defence of its master. Only, she knew it wasn't. It was a ghost. Something chilling and creepy, otherworldly and seemingly immortal. They said most ghost-types had lives that rivalled the greatest of the dragons and the legendary ninetails and arcanines of Alolan-myth, and the brunette could never call one cute in an Immortal's lifespan, never. They just _weren't_. They were creepy creatures and those that trained them even creepier. She never wanted one of her own.

The sound came again, this time lower and deeper as the gengar –Agatha's Yura- charged its foe, claws gleaming dark purple. Fumiko shuddered, hugging herself even as her 'pillow' shifted. The cool scales against warm flesh reminded her she was here, in bed, not in the stadium where the match had taken place last night. To be in the crowd when that thing was out on the field- it was unthinkable.

The camera pulled back, revealing the packed stadium as dust glittered in the moonlight like some sort of strange form of snow as it settled around the combatants. The mountain dragonite –Lance's Otaro- was still standing even after the Shadow Claw, and the 'pillow' chirped excitedly again, butting her head gently against the screen and staring at it, as if that'd make the dragonite respond this time. It hadn't worked the last eight times she'd done it.

"Lryu? Mliirrr...?" the baby dratini chirped sadly, seeming to deflate.

"It's only a picture," she said, reaching up to scratch an ear-fin while gently nudging the dragon's head away from the screen. This happened with every picture of a dragonite and for the life of her, Fumiko couldn't work out _why_. It didn't matter because it was unlikely she'd ever see a real dragonite. "You're blocking the view."

"Ryuii..." The dragon settled down, staring at the dragonite forlornly as it obeyed a largely unheard command from its master, firing some sort of beam attack at the gengar. It hit square in the chest, flinging the ghost/poison into the forceshield that ringed the battleground. Blue flared out around the impact site and the ghost growled, righted itself, and charged, flinging forth a dark ball of crackling purple energy. A textbook perfect Shadow Ball.

Lance threw his arm out, fingers clicking in an unheard signal, yet still his dragon responded, drawing in a deep breath and bracing itself against the kickback of a fire attack. A true dragon master, the young Trainer-to-be thought, hands against her mouth in awe and wonder. He really was something more than the League's poster boy of power. Cool and Awesome and Talented, just like the dragonite he commanded.

The attack never connected; instead, it connected mid-air with a dazzling Fire Blast fuelled by the dragon-flames only a true-dragon could spew. Try as it might, not even the vaunted charizard could spew those heated flames of legend. The resulting explosion had both Trainers flinging their arms up on instinct, while the gengar hit the forceshield yet again with a sickening scream of pain that made no sense. It was a ghost; they didn't have the same internals as living pokemon. Everyone knew _that_.

The camera zoomed in on Lance as he straightened, cape whipping behind him as eyes snapped open to reveal hard gold that seemed to glitter under the stadium lights. Fumiko squealed through her nose. Even in the height of battle, he was calm, collected and held himself like he knew what he was doing. A hand was flung out again, and the long cape attached to the jacket flared as if he were some sort of superhero. She had to shove her fist into her mouth in an effort to keep her noises to a minimum so not to disturb her sleeping sisters.

The screen switched to Agatha and Fumiko pouted. From the Okiyoshi Clan or not, Agatha was _boring_ ; the woman was in her standard dress, hems billowing around her feet and revealing a pair of heeled lace-up boots that matched the walking stick she carried. She too was calm and collected, confident in a way only age and wisdom brought, wrinkled face stretched in a mockery of the gengar-grin. But she was not dramatic, and therefore rather boring, even if she could command a room to silence with her mere presence.

"Night Head," came the smirked order for a Night Shade.

"Destruction Beam," Lance countered, cementing the Hyper Beam order with a grand gesture from his hand, eyes wide with what Fumiko thought of as exhilaration, and the footage cut back to the two pokemon, showcasing them in all their glory as they fired off the attacks, both hitting at the same time. Dust and debris briefly obscured the view, but then the dragonite shot out, wings wide as they beat against the air for extra speed as it charged the gengar, letting loose another Fire Blast (she wasn't sure, but it had to be at that colour) with flame hot enough to scorch the stadium's ground black and brown.

Fumiko didn't bother to ask how; this was a battle between _Elites_. Stuff like this was expected. They weren't at the top of the totem pole of training for nothing, and the soon-to-be rookie wondered if she'd ever have that skill or power. It'd be nice, because then she could do anything in the world. Even knowing it would happen, she still held her breath until Agatha recalled the exhausted gengar in a beam of multicoloured light, conceding victory to Lance and his dragonite with a graceful nod. "He won!"

Fumiko might not have been as quiet as she could have been.

"Sis, are you watching that again?" A sleepy voice intruded into her world as the headset was removed and set aside. " _It's two am_. Some of us need our beauty sleep."

The brunette blinked at her youngest sister, glancing over at the bunks on the other side of the room; her other sister, Kaori, was a shapeless mass on the top bunk, arms wrapped around a munna-plush as she snored her head off. "Hikaru? Did I wake you?"

"No. Your dragon did." Hikaru pointed to Minryu with a scowl. "It's worse than Numui was."

"Is not," Fumiko pouted, glaring at the almost 8-year-old. "Minryu was being quiet like a good pet."

"Whatever. Keep her silent or put her away," Hikaru grumbled as she crawled back into bed, somehow managing not to disturb their mum's old meowth curled at the foot of the bed. That thing had to be like thirty-five years old and the everstone on its collar had been there forever and ever. Minryu didn't like it, but she didn't think Minryu knew anything. One day Fumiko would get her one to wear. A real one, not a man-made one like the meowth wore.

As Hikaru vanished under the doona with 'freaking noctowl' comment, Fumiko stuck her tongue out then turned back to the laptop, blindly groping for the headset. Jamming it on, she fast-forwarded to the interview with Lance, unwilling to listen to the guest commentator going on about how great the pokemon had been.

Of course they'd been great; everyone knew Elite pokemon were great, and this had just been something done for some charity or other for one of the hospitals in Pallet. Or was it Viridian. Whatever, it didn't matter too much to Fumiko. All that mattered was that Lance had won, and he'd been epic at it.

"-How do you feel about having raised the amount of money you raised in this night's match?" One of the reporters asked both Elite as they stood on the edge of the field, pokemon having rightfully been recalled by their Trainers. Pokemon out on a battlefield and not battling was almost taboo at that level.

"It is for a good cause. The lives of young cancer patients at the Masara General Hospital shall be much improved, for it is unfair that the next generation suffers as much as they do," Agatha said, leaning heavily on her cane.

Lance nodded, looking mildly uncomfortable at how close the microphone had been shoved into his face. "We've even arranged for several smaller breeders to loan out child-friendly breeds as therapy animals, and we plan to be there when the program rolls out." He smiled winningly, and Fumiko's heart fluttered. He was so dreamy~. She wanted so badly to meet him, but the few times he'd come to her neck of Fuchsia, she'd been in school. Janine had apparently met him, though that was because her father was a Gymleader. It wasn't fair, but Fumiko had to believe that one day she'd meet him.

Meet him and get his autograph and maybe a picture with him.

"What sort? Gādi pups?" the reporter asked, and a picture of a cute plains-growlithe appeared up in the corner of the screen.

"Eneco and py," Lance said simply, using the Johto names as he pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache. On the screen, skitty and cleffa pictures replaced the growlithe, but Fumiko ignored them; they weren't cute like bugs or cubone or dratini. "If you excuse me, I do need to heal Otaro. Agatha-san's Yura managed to score a direct hit to his leg."

Here, Agatha smiled thinly yet without malice, eyes glinting with amusement. "Luck. We shall hold a conference later, once we are rested too. Such fun is taxing to an old body such as mine."

"Oh, of course. I don't want to hold you up from rest or tending to a prized battler," the reporter floundered, and Fumiko found herself agreeing with Lance. At that level, you had to care for your things. Training a new dragon wasn't easy– she'd learned that from a documentary about Johto's Tatsuno Clan, Hoenn's Igarashi, and Sinnoh's Hata, along with a few other stories from various Trainers that owned dragons. Kanto didn't have a Dragon Clan that was known about, but it hadn't stopped Trainers attempting to own one.

 _I also know that from personal experience_ , the young woman thought, eyes sliding to Minryu. Training her can be hard. But Minryu's a good pet. She listens.

"Thank you." Lance gestured to Agatha with an elegant sweep of his hand, the other fisted in his cape. "After you."

"Such manners. We shall be catching up with you, both shortly and at Masara."

And with that, the video ended. Whoever had uploaded this to Youtube hadn't included the rest of the post-battle press conference.

Fumiko huffed, scowling, hand thumping against Minryu.

"Rryy..." Minryu nudged her tamer, eyes pitiful and questioning.

"You're fine. Okido-kun's in Masara and _he_ might get to see Lance," she pouted for several more seconds before sighing. "It can't be helped, and I need to sleep as tomorrow's the big day." Fumiko shifted as she nudged the 'tiny dragon' down to the floor where her own basket-bed was; it was impossible to sleep with a nearly six-foot dratini taking up most of the bed. Thankfully, the reptile slithered into it without much fuss, curling up and becoming impossibly small, as if she had rubber for her spine or some sort of snake genes.

Fumiko made herself comfy in the vacated warmth, shut the laptop down, and put it and the headset, on the bedside table. "Night," she muttered. Minryu was a pet; it was right to say that.

She wouldn't dare say it to any pokemon that was a battler, right? They were weapons, and Minryu wasn't.

Yea. It was as simple as that.

* * *

"Fumiko."

Her mother's voice was soft, light. Easy ignored by a young teen who wanted to sleep more.

 _It's too early..._ she thought, pulling the pillow down over her head with a muffled groan.

"Fumiko, dear," her mother said again, this time insistent.

"Nggh?" She tried to bat the hands shaking her away, but that didn't deter her mother.

"It's nine am. Get up. I fed your pet already when I fed Mimi."

"Don't wanna," Fumiko's half-hearted whine turned into a yelp as her mother yanked the doona back, allowing chilly air into what had once been a warm cocoon of bliss and pleasant dreams. "MUM!"

Her mother's stare was distinctly unimpressed. "Breakfast is almost ready, and it's your big day, remember?"

The young Trainer-to-be shot up as fast a 'dash out the race-gate, eyes wide, hands flailing in the air. "What? Am I late?"

Miyako shook her head with a laugh, easily dodging her daughter's flailing. "You can't be late when there's no deadline."

"Oh. Yea." Fumiko knew that, really, and rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish grin. "Ok. I'll see you downstairs."

"Ten minutes or I'll send Hikaru in," her mother said as she exited the room her daughters shared, leaving Fumiko alone to pack her bag.

The first thing she did was unearth Numui's old pokeball from one of her draws, staring sadly at the dark indicator lights. It was shoved into her bag, not one of the sub-space pockets. It was functionally useless without a wipe-and-reset, but she couldn't bring herself to throw it away.

She was sure she'd find a use for it again, eventually.

* * *

After getting dressed in an aqua shirt and red skirt with aqua socks, finishing her packing and then making the bed, Fumiko bolted down the stairs. She took it as a win she didn't trip, as that would've been embarrassing, and she really, really did not want to start The Day with anything that'd have her siblings snickering or teasing. Besocked feet hit polished wood and the girl slid around the corner as she scrambled to regain footing, mentally cursing not shoving her house-slippers on. Thankfully, her older brother caught her as she careened into him with a startled squawk.

He let out a grunt as he looked down at his younger, and shorter, sister. "Woa. Easy, Fumi'. It ain't gonna run'way on ya."

"I know I know, but– I'm so excited. I can't wait and it's like Serebī's being slooow." She pushed away from him with a giggle, looking up – and up – at his grinning face. He looked like her a bit, but unlike her rich brown hair, his was more the colour of forest venonat's pelt; a deep, rich colour that was almost black. "You could get one, too, you know."

"I can't..." His shoulders hunched, even though he knew that wasn't what she meant. "It's not worth the risk- and, I like carpentry. I'm _good_ at it."

"W-Well. I'll catch a diguda for you then!" Fumiko said with a grin, meaning every word. She only partly understood her brother's reluctance, but she supported him. Yoshio knew how to manage it better than anyone, and it wasn't a weakness. Not in him. Yet it was horrible and almost unthinkable that he couldn't go on a Journey or wouldn't get a Starter like he'd dreamed of, just because of something he couldn't control. It wasn't fair.

"Really?" His face lit up at the mention of a diglett, and Fumiko nodded as she tugged him towards the kitchen.

"Really. Just because you can't Journey, doesn't mean you can't own your own pokemon or train them," she sniffed the air, eyes widening as the smell of miso-based farfetch'd-broth hit her nose. She almost squealed in delight, yet managed to remain calm. "Say, did mum make 'negi-miso?"

"Yep. Natto and rice with oran-juice too," his grin was all Fumiko needed to rush to the kitchen, bouncing with each step.

"Morning sleepyhead," Kaori chirped as the fourteen-year-old sat down, while Yoshio joined their mother at the benches. "Did you stay up watching videos of Tatsuno-san again?"

Fumiko ducked her head as she twiddled her fingers. "Uh-"

"She _did_ ," Hikaru said with a sour look. "She woke me up with her squealing over him."

"I was not squealing. I was cheering," Fumiko crossed her arms with a stubborn look. "There is a difference. You squeal every time t-that Alolan cartoon plays on TV."

"That's different!" Hikaru huffed, scowl marring an otherwise perfectly innocent face. "One day I'll visit and I'll find a yuki-ne and aku-nya!"

"Of course you will," Kaori giggled. "Do you think you'll find that so-called 'fossil' they claim to have?"

Fumiko rolled her eyes; it was a big claim, but they hadn't shown it off at all.

"Of course! When I'm old enough, I'll visit everywhere to find cry-ptids!" Hikaru pointed dramatically into the air, evoking smiles out of everyone in the room. Even Fumiko couldn't deny her sister's enthusiasm.

"What about Gyms?" Their father spoke up from behind his newspaper. "Alola doesn't have them, Hikaru."

"I just want to find rare pokemon," Hikaru said, deflating slightly, then bounced back before anyone could a word in edgewise. "Once I have them though, then I can make them really super strong, right, daddy? Like your azumaō and gōrikī!"

Their father grunted in agreement at the assessment of his seaking and machoke, and Hikaru's smile lit up the room. She could have twirled on her seat then and there, where it not for Yoshio's hand on her shoulder, and the youngest, Yuichi, sliding into his seat now his morning TV show, Super Sentai: Rescue Force, was over.

"They _still_ haven't defeated Glaciera!" The six-year-old said with a huff. "And now she wants to blow everything up just because she got her hands on the Dark Moon PowerGem."

"Dark Moon PowerGem?" Their father asked, peering over the newspaper.

"Yea!" He nodded excitedly. "It can blow up the world using the power of the moon."

"Really?" Hikaru said doubtfully. "How they gonna stop it?"

"How? They're good guys! They can stop _anything_!"

"Of course they can, dear," Miyako said as Yoshio slid into his chair, glass of milk in hand. None of them blinked at the habitual checking of the chair, used to it by now because that was who Yoshio was. It didn't take long for Miyako to place several bowls in front of the family. Alongside the food she'd smelled earlier, the steamed rice came with pickled vegetables, and nori sprinkled with soy sauce graced the side of the natto, and tofu floated in the miso.

A glass of oran-juice also accompanied the meal.

Fumiko smiled, stomach growling. "Thanks mum."

"It's no trouble." She said, sitting down beside her husband, who by now had put his paper away.

"Thank you for this meal." The family said together before they started to tuck into the food, the clink of chopsticks against bowls the only thing heard for a short while as they ate, Yuichi and Kaori doing their best not to shovel everything down in one go.

"So, Sis. Do you know what one you'll pick?" Kaori asked after swallowing a mouthful of natto.

"Ermm..." Fumiko twirled her chopsticks around in the natto thoughtfully. "A hitokage, I would think." She took a bite of the sticky soy-bean product with a slight shrug. The species as a whole were known to be hard to train, but loyal.

Hikaru pouted as she poked through her soup to cool it down. "Ehhhh. But hito' aren't even cute like zeni' are. See?" She pointed to the cartoon squirtle on her shirt with a grin. It sported black glasses with a 'Be Cool!' slogan.

"But don't you have Minryu?" Yuichi spoke up while Kaori nodded in the background between shovelling rice into her mouth as if it'd suddenly up and vanish.

"Yea, but – you should take something cute. Like a zeni'~!" The youngest of the sisters looked pointedly at Fumiko, while Yuichi huffed.

"Nuh. Chikorita are better! Saikai has a mega... meginam?" He interjected before Fumiko could get a word in edgewise.

"Meganiumu," Miyako corrected.

Yuichi nodded. "Yea, that one!"

"Hito' are cute too, and An-chan'll take the the fushigi-line." Not to mention they were a challenge, or so all the guidebooks said, for beginning Trainers. To say nothing of how awesome it'd be to have a pseudo-dragon at her beck and call, or riding it– him, because all starters were male- through the skies.

"But they evolve into ugly things. Even mummy thinks so!" Hikaru screwed her face up in a glare that bordered on tears, and Miyako sighed.

"I think, sweetie, we should let Fumiko choose the starter she wants. Your father and I can see about getting you a zenigame for your birthday in May."

"Really?" Hikaru's expression morphed into a look of hope. "You would?"

"Of course we would. For now, eat. I'm sure Fumiko's eager to start her Journey."

* * *

"Sis! Don't forget the doll~," Hikaru singsonged as she waved at the wooden doll that sat on the single self in the genkan, next to her siblings' dolls. Like all of them, it was semi-hand-made by its owner when they were two years old, intended to replace the cloth and wool doll that was made when a child was born. Both the Wooden and Cloth doll existed as a stand-in for a child; evil targeting the child would instead be drawn to the doll, and trapped there until it was burned in a special ritual that appeased the Doll-Soul.

Unlike the simple stitching of the Cloth, each Wooden doll was held together with twine and wire, clothed in a simple white tunic with a loop of wool around the waist, dyed a deep crimson colour. White was the colour of protection and deep crimson the colour of life. Together, it spoke of a celebration of life and a plea to the gods for protection of the child.

Unlike the other four, Yoshio's was also draped in a handmade haori dyed in yellow, the colour of courage and 'never giving up'. They'd had a monk over last year on his birthday to do the ceremony, and now the doll would stay with him until death.

It'd burn with him then. To burn it before then was to invite disaster on the family, unwanted hauntings, bad luck, and other unhappy things.

"Ah. Of course." She had to stand on her tip-toes to reach it, but asking her dad wasn't an option. If she wanted good luck on her Journey, she had to be the one to reach it by her own ingenuity, and carry it to the main Temple-Shrine in Fuchsia for the Rite of Luck. Finally, after several tries, the wooden doll was gently grasped in her hands and brought down. Fumiko cradled it against her chest, knowing it'd be the last time she ever held or saw it again. "I'm sorry for taking so long to invite you, Miiko. Will you forgive me?"

She knew the doll couldn't reply, but it was proper and polite to ask forgiveness. Miiko was like a friend; a cherished beloved part of the family. After several seconds, the almost imperceptible tension in the air faded and Fumiko spun to beam at her family with a laugh, even as she turned the doll so it could see the world. "We can go now. Miiko forgave me."

"That's good." Her father opened the door, and Fumiko, Miiko still against her chest and bag slung over her shoulder, scurried out first, followed by the rest of her family.

Who almost ran into the gaping girl on the footpath. "Eh- Is that?"

She nodded at the rapidash that stood alongside its partner, proud and glorious in the polished leather trapping of a carriage horse. Its head was held high, proudly so and higher than she'd seen, ears flicked back in pride. The coats shone, brushed in a way that accentuated the lean muscle underneath with a shadow of rib, and the flames were perfectly coloured; soft red-orange and pale silver. They gave off no heat and would not burn what they wore.

"It is a special day. They'll also take us to the Temple-Shrine after," her mother confirmed, smile in her voice, and Fumiko nodded.

"You wanna ride up here, birthday girl?" the driver asked. No sooner had Fumiko nodded was she clambering up to sit beside him, marvelling at the view of the streets with wide eyes while the rest of her family took the carriage.

"It's so high."

"It has to be to see over the backs." The reins snapped harshly against the pokemon's backs, signalling them to move. A sharp neigh and snort and they were off, soon trotting through Fuchsia's busy, bustling streets, turning heads as they went. Fumiko, of course, waved with a giant grin on her face before turning her attention to the rapidash. She could see the way they moved; smooth and elegant with skin, muscle and bone working together as they threw their weight against the harnesses, heads remaining high, proud.

"So, what Starter are you getting, kid?" The driver asked, tugging the reins to slow the horses to a walk as they joined one of the main roads of the city. It bustled with all types of carriages and carts, drawn by all kinds of proud pokemon suited to the task, decked out in shining harnesses, heads more than not held high. That this was because of bearing reins would not occur to her until years later.

For now, she was a child in awe, enjoying the sights the rare vantage point offered.

"A hitokage."

"Fire, huh? Mine was a wani'ko, back on the Archipelago. 'course, it's now an ordile," he said, patting the pokeball sized pouch at his side where the feraligator's 'ball sat with a chuckle.

"The Orange Archipelago?" Fumiko blinked, nonplussed and not understanding why anyone would want to start a Journey there. They were even more backwards than Sevii and ruled just as strongly by superstitions and Old Families and Clans. It was a miracle Kanto had managed to bring Civilisation to them. "But they don't even have a real League..."

Like Alola and Orre, or the Ranger Union, but they were weird and kept denying any offers of help with the Obivia Situation. Which was dumb if you asked her, and reinforced her father's words that 'Rangers were Dumb'.

"We got one."

"Really? You have a Champion?" That didn't seem possible. Even Sevii didn't have one, just some silly title of 'Nae'shou'.

"Yea; Yūji Sikanna." So, that was Drake's last name, she thought, even as the man continued on. "But nah, I travelled. I only have a few badges at most. Kantō, OA, Hōen, one Jōto-"

"What one from Jōto?" It was rude to interrupt, but she did it anyway, managing to keep her thoughts to herself. It wouldn't do to insult the driver after all.

"Risingbadge, first try." The man opened his vest to prove it. There, amongst the other badges, the black and red of the Risingbadge stood out. Alongside, she saw the gray of the Pewter badge and the red-orange of Cinnabar's badge. She didn't know the other badges, and she didn't care to; only Kanto's mattered in the end.

Still, Fumiko's mouth dropped open. Clair was related to Lance, to say nothing of how many tries it normally took a Trainer of any skill level to claim it. To claim it on the first try meant he was either skilled, or just really lucky, and she didn't think the Archipelago produced anyone of true skill; even their Champion, Drake of Pummelo was no match for Real ones, like Gan Ning of Hoenn, Cynthia up in Sinnoh, Erin of Johto, or Alder of Unova. Drake likely wouldn't stand a chance against Lance, or the next Kantan Champion. So, he was lucky to get that win. "D-Did you meet Lance-san?"

"Nah, but I meet his cousin, and I think her kid was around," the driver said with a shrug, like it wasn't a big deal.

"Oh... T-That's cool." Fumiko forced a smile on her face, even as she felt her soul sinking down.

"You like Wataru-san, huh?"

"Of course! I'm going to meet him one day," Fumiko bounced slightly, earning a laugh from the man beside her. "He's only the best in the League."

Even if he did have Johtan blood because of his mother, but his father's blood was more than enough to make up for it, because Kantan's were the best. Everyone knew that.

"He's been here a few times, you know."

"Yes, well, never to my school, and the one time he was, I was home sick!" the teenager huffed, arms crossed. "It wasn't fair! I really wanted to meet him, but now..."

"You really like him, huh?" The driver asked as they turned onto the start of the gentle sloping hill that would take them up to not only the main Pokemon Centre, but also the Gym Complex. She'd been there a few times and seen it more times than not on TV, often when someone attempted to wreck the maze for one reason or another. Fumiko thought it rather stupid; the maze was invisible, the goal to get to the centre before one could battle Koga for the badge, and it was turned off before any actual battling took place.

At least as far as she knew.

"... H-He's my hero," Fumiko muttered after a short pause, shoulders hunching as she ducked her head in an effort to hide her reddening face. She more than liked him, but he was Old Clan. "He's strong and powerful, from an Old Clan that's said to date back over a thousand years, he trains dragons and other powerful pokemon, he's got sixteen badges, and he's incredible because he's one of the youngest to be named the highest ranking Elite and pseudo-champion. W-what's there not to like? He's perfect, and he has a _p'tera_."

"He does?" The man blinked, glancing at Fumiko.

"Yes. I've been following him since before he became an Elite." She frowned, arms tightening around Miiko. "H-he's forever silent o-on where he'd obtained it, too, but I think somewhere in Kantō."

Maybe, but just getting his hands on a piece of viable Old Amber was impressive enough on its own; reviving it to a living Fossil-mon was something else entirely, and it had to have been revived. There was no other way, right? To say nothing of the fact he battled with it.

"He's Old Clan. His family hav' money and power." The driver shrugged with a wistful sigh. "Must be nice, being able to own something that costs into the triple millions."

"Yes, I'd like to think so," Fumiko nodded in agreement, staring down at Miiko, then out at the passing buildings that came to an abrupt end as they reached the start of the main, massive Pokemon Centre that literally dominated the surrounding area. Without hesitation, the driver tugged the reins, slowing the rapidash to a walk as the carriage headed towards the building's entrance.

Fumiko's face split into a massive smile as they reached the entrance, the driver expertly pulling the 'dash to a stop without a hitch. Not that there should be any hitches with such proud carriage horses, the brunette thought as she climbed down, Miiko still safe within her grasp and bag swinging against her side.

There, waiting for her was Janine, her own doll tucked against her side. "Hey. Dad's inside already."

"Really? He got time off?" As soon as she asked it, she felt stupid. Of course Koga would have time off; he'd make it because he was the Gymleader of Fuchsia.

"Like he'd miss this," the Shinozaki daughter said with a laugh, freehand grabbing her best friend's wrist, tugging her closer to the massive double story glass doors of the Centre. "Are you ready?"

"Of course I am!" She said with a firm nod, blue eyes filled with an eagerness that couldn't be faked. She was about to embark on the greatest adventure _ever_. "Let's go!"

* * *

 **Clarifications.** The main criteria for this is if I do not make it clear within the narrative at some point.  
 _P'tera_ \- Kantan pronunciation of aerodactyl's Japanese name  
 _Wani'ko_ \- Orange Islands pronunciation for waninoko/Totodile.  
 _Agatha and Lance's names_  
They go by both Japanese and English names, and why this is will be answered in a later chapter.


	3. TWO - let's get a starter!

_Zarok63_  
\- Thanks. I'd like to think I'm doing an OK job, and I also have my betas as sounding boards. It _is_ Pokemon, even in this setting.

 **Notes:**  
\- Dates given operate on translation convention.

* * *

Together, they walked through the massive glass doors and into the air-conditioned public area known only as the foyer. It was here most of the activity happened, with passkey-protected lifts, escalators, and stairs, leading up to the overnight Trainer lodgings. As far as Fumiko knew, Main 'Centre's provided substantially more rooms than most, with building built around the foyer. All other floors and rooms sprouted off it. Technically the foyer's ceiling was of a height one could release an average-sized onix inside.

Not that it was recommended.

Doctors and nurses bustled all over the massive area, all carrying three or more pokeballs, most of them the pure white of healballs. Standard to the industry within the League Nations, everyone knew they contained useful pokemon.

"Busy already...? I thought your dad wasn't taking challengers today?"

Janine stared at the other brunette. "Police broke up a Rocket ring last night. It's been all over the news."

"The same one that broke into the Gym last month!?" Looking for what, Fumiko could only guess, and Janine hadn't said a lick about it to her.

"Mhn, one and the same," Janine said with a nod. "Dad and Uncle Arata were part of the raid."

"Raid?"

"You..." Janine blinked, then face-palmed with a small groan. "Did you wake up late again?"

"Uh... yes?" She rubbed the back of her head, grinning nervously at her friend, who snorted in amusement. "But we... we're done with school...?"

"Fumiko!" Janine huffed with a fond smile, even as she nodded to the officers near a cordoned off section. Now she was looking, Fumiko could see other police around too, some of them nursing mugs and at least one leaning against a rather shaggy-coated umbreon. "Whatever. I'll explain later."

"Um... ok." If it had been a raid... "I hope no-one was hurt."

"It could have been worse," Janine said with a small shrug, and Fumiko knew the ninja well enough to know someone had been hurt.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine," the younger of the pair waved her hand as if to dismiss the topic. "Come on, let's see if we can actually find dad."

"Where'd you leave him?" The older asked, peering around at the crowd of mainly people. Here and there, she saw the odd chansey or odd, unsettling mistermime following after a doctor or a nurse. One nurse, hair dyed in a ludicrous shade of neon pink seemed to have a zubat perched on their shoulder.

"Over there somewhere," Janine pointed, deftly tugging her friend out of the way of one of the nurses pushing a cart. It was laden with all kind of pokeballs set into trays, each one carefully labelled with the owner's name. "But he might have got to talk with the police some more."

Fumiko eep'd, doubled checked Miiko was still in a secure grip, then followed her friend's lead as Janine lead them towards the sizeable, but somewhat shallow pool-tank. Ringed by people, it sat in the middle of the foyer-area and currently held a number of pokemon, all water-type.

"That's gotta suck. It's supposed to be your day," Fumiko huffed, peering at some of the water-types in the pool, frowning at the pair of off-colour cloyster.

"Just because he's off duty doesn't mean he's not..." Janine shrugged a little, hugging her doll closer. "Like how your dad..."

"Yea, true enough," Fumiko glanced down at Miiko, then back to the cloyster. "They likely aren't battle worthy anyway."

"Huh?"

"The parushen," she nodded towards them.

"Why'd you say that?" Janine asked, barely glancing at the clam-like pokemon.

"Too pale to be real ones."

"Those are Shin'ō ones; pretty rare to see here. I think you see them more around northeast Shin'ō?" Janine said after a glance at the pokemon. "And I think that's a Cape kingurā. Should be put down if it's _that_ old."

"...Y-Yea," Fumiko wrinkled her nose slightly, turning her attention to the rest of the monsters in the pool. An old and gnarled looking tentacruel floated on the water, its bell easily one-and-a-half metres at the widest. Alongside it where several starmie, one midway in the process of regrowing an arm, and one of them the mottled blue-purple shade of a riverstar.

According to her father, starmie were sailors' bane around the local offshore islands. They didn't look that bad, but she trusted her father when it came to sea-pokemon.

A pure white dewgong rested on the concrete next to a shell-cracked blastoise with the 'cannon's retracted. It was only proper, and she knew from Youtube, Vines, and school lessons they took several seconds to deploy from that state. It was mostly battling ones that kept them out, or were surgically prevented from retracting all the way. If it had fully retractable, it was probably contest-bred, or belonged to an irresponsible Trainer.

Or to a person like Shigeru.

She forced the memory of the Pallet-brat from her mind, choosing instead to peer at the few Trainers milling around the pool-tank. One of them inspecting the newly scarred bill of a marsh-bred golduck while the duck-creature crouched, webbed hands flat against the off-white tiles of the 'Centre flooring. Around its neck was a collar that held what looked to be a Damp Rock. It stood out against the blue-purple speckled hide typical of marsh-bred 'duck.

As far as she could tell, they all looked liked seasoned battlers with scarred and sleek bodies that spoke of experience, contest-bred with perfect, unmarred features, or prized possessions; none of this shocked her because only prized ones – or smaller critters - were shown off outside the 'ball, and only if the owner could keep them firmly in hand.

She'd seen what happened on TV when a human couldn't control the monster they owned and it wasn't pretty. Several years ago, the small 'Centre near the Pallet docklands had been reduced to rubble by a _wigglytuff_ of all things. At least they'd killed it in the end; normal-types should not be capable of that power. Aberrations were bad. Everyone knew that. She never wanted to own an aberration.

Beyond the pool-tank lay the main service desk where one left pokemon to be healed, the banks of public vidphones, and the bank of machines that allowed access to the Storage System and the Global Trade Network.

But she still couldn't find Koga in the crowd. She turned to Janine. "Found your dad yet?"

"No, but he might be over there," the girl said, waving her hand in the general waiting area. Like the pool, people and pokemon milled about, and near the edge of the area she saw the massive form of a sitting arcanine and a black-faced jynx next to it, fur clipped respectably short for a working monster. She didn't see a security officer, but she had no doubt they were around. They always were.

"That's less than helpful..." She said, tearing her eyes from the two pokemon to look around. Most of the other pokemon out were typical run of the mill raticate, bug-types (she saw a honey-weedle on a 'catcher's lap, a cave paras curled up on the lap of a child with a spinarak on the mother's lap, and a forest venonat not far away.), vulpix, smaller nidoran, a balled-up form of a young voltorb by its mistress's side, and a potted bellsprout, roots no doubt sunk deep into the soil. Alongside that, she caught the fluro jacket of a servicemon on a togetic next to an older man.

Amongst them all were other Trainers, many either playing on the 'gear, swiping away at phones, or on laptops of various sorts. If not that, then chatting away to other Trainers, some of them gesturing wildly about something or another. Only a few seemed to be watching one of the muted TVs in this area, both showing 'Cooking with Sango-chan', one of the shows her mother loved. She saw two people get up, heading towards one of the side doors that lead to the 'Centre's arenas; it wouldn't be long until a TV switched to the 'field, allowing people to watch if they pleased.

"Dad! Over here!" Janine called, and Fumiko blinked, then half turned, turning fully as the man and his sister made their way over, followed by the hauntingly chilly visage of a froslass at Aya's side.

"Anzu, Fumiko-chan," Koga greeted with a short nod that doubled as a bow, Aya mimicking him. Like all Gymleaders, Koga commanded an air of respect about him that continued even if he wasn't in his 'working uniform' of stereotypical ninja clothing. Aya's demeanour was more reserved, but there was still an air of respect about her.

Compared to Janine's shirt, jeans, Onizuka brand sneakers, and haori, both Koga and Aya were conservatively dressed in traditional wear, complete with the mon of the family on the haori, 'ball pouches discretely against the obi. Though against the skyblue of Aya's kimono, the brown leather stood out, and alongside the visible symbol of a carrying Trainer, Fumiko had no illusions that Aya's froslass wasn't highly trained.

Most pokemon from Gymfamilies were.

Fumiko swallowed, looking away from the ghost as Aya chuckled, not unkindly, at the reaction. Humaniodal things with some insectish features to the face around the mouth, Froslass weren't the most pleasant pokemon to look at. They were also semi-transparent, and there was a reason Sinnoh called them 'terrors of the snow-mountains', and Fumiko wasn't sure it didn't have to do with the reputation wild ones had.

"Shinozaki-san," she greeted, bowing deeply to both and holding it for several seconds. It was only proper even if her best friend in the whole world was Koga's daughter. "I didn't think you'd make it."

"Regardless of what has transpired, I would not miss such an important event," the ninja said with a small, regal smile and a slight nod, while Aya's return bow was somewhat deeper.

"Well, yea. I'd never let you hear the end of it, dad." Janine retorted, raking a hand through her hair, the last wisps of her infamously bad purple dye job catching in the lights of the Centre. "Yet... It does mean a lot."

Koga's smile reached even his eyes. "I know. Ah, your family has caught up."

"Ah-!" Fumiko spun around in time to see Hikaru, tugging Kaori along behind her, leading the rest of the family. "Oi! You walk too fast!"

"Sorry, Hika," Fumiko laughed, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

The child stared at her, then nodded firmly. "It's ok. I forgive you."

"You're too kind."

The Fuchsia Gymleader offered another bow to the Kasahara family before straightening; it was returned by the family, respectfully deeper.

"Hi – hey, cool. That's a yukimenoko!" Kaori exclaimed as she got up close and personal to the ghost, eyes wide, while Fumiko bit her lip, fingers grinding against her palm in an effort not to pull her baby sister away from the ghost. She hated how Kaori seemed so unaware of the danger. "I didn't know you had that. Did you get it on your trip?"

"No, I've had her since I Journeyed myself," the female ninja said, hand resting atop the ice-ghosts head briefly, the pokemon leaning into it with a small 'ssss' sound. "If you wish, when I breed her again, you may have one of the yukiwarashi."

"Really?" Kaori turned to her parents. "Can I can I can I please?"

"We'll talk it over later with Shinozaki-san. Today is Fumiko and Anzu-chan's day."

"Fine," Kaori huffed, blowing a strand of chestnut hair from her face before rounding on her older sister. "You picked a colour yet?"

"Yes. I'm going to go red."

"Dunno," Janine added with a shrug. "Maybe green."

"You should go blue," Hikaru said with a sage nod. "Iwatoma-sensei has a blue one, and it's really pretty and matches her kir'lia."

Fumiko and Janine nodded, even if they didn't agree; pokedex-blue was more the colour of water, while the blue of the teacher's kirlia was more sky-blue against the pale orange of its horns. Yuichi shook his head. "Nuh-uh, everyone knows stickers are the best colour for a 'dex."

"That they are," Aya agreed with a laugh, before turning to the girls. "Now, are you ready?"

They nodded vigorously at the question, shifting from foot to foot, dolls held tightly against their sides. "We are," they both exclaimed. "May we?"

"Yes," Koga said simply with a small inclination of his head.

"Of course you may," her mother said, while her father added, "we'll be in the lounge waiting."

"Take as long as you wish. This is an important step," Koga added, hands folded into the haori sleeves.

"Awesome!" And, with a whoop of delight, they bowed again, then turned, and almost ran towards the back of the public area of the pokemon Centre while their families retreated to the lounge, where Kaori would ask all the questions about the froslass as Yuichi and Hikaru chatted on about the last episodes of their TV shows, and the adults talked about whatever it was that adults talked about. Not that either girl noticed, or cared.

They were about to get not only their pokedex, but their very own Starter, and as tradition dictated, they would do it all with their dolls to ensure no bad luck came to them.

"So," Fumiko asked as they slowed to a walk through the throng of people that always seemed to be clustered around the main service desk and the plethora of other services linked to the League, "what colour are you really going to get?"

"Yellow," Janine said with a laugh. "Have you seen the new green they're using?"

"Isn't that the colour of grass-poo?" Fumiko asked, nose wrinkling in disgust. While every living thing had to do it, general grass-poo for a pokedex colour was beyond gross.

"It's worse than that," her friend said with a shudder. "It's the colour of rīfia-poop."

Fumiko shuddered, opened her mouth, then decided she did not want to know how her best friend knew what a leafeon's poo looked like because it was obvious. Someone had used a leafeon against Koga, and it'd died on the field, complete with all the 'fun' stuff. "Ugh, why would they-"

"Shin'ō sets the colours," Janine said with a roll of her eyes then a shake of her head, as if she didn't want to burden Fumiko with her thoughts on the subject. "Regardless, yellow is a good colour for me."

Fumiko pouted slightly at the loss of good gossip, but let it drop anyway. She'd get it out of the other girl later. "I guess."

Janine flashed her a grin and switched sides then threw her arm around the shorter's shoulders. "So why red? Is it because of Tatsuno-san?"

"N-No!" She shook her head vigorously, silently wishing her stutter would just vanish. Lance didn't even have a red-dex, and his was covered, the last time she'd found an image of it, in stickers. "R-Red is because y-you're getting yellow, and it'll match my skirt," she said with a grin, free hand fisting against the thigh-length fabric as if to emphasise her point.

"Are you sure~?"

"Yes!" Fumiko squeaked, nodding vigorously. "It's said th-those with red-dexes are brave."

"Oh come on. You know that's Seichojo trash." Janine huffed. "Those with red-dexes are determined and passionate, like you."

"Really? You think that?"

"I've known you since we were five," Janine said, pulling the shorter into something of a headlock. "So, yea."

Fumiko ducked her head even as a smile lit up her face. "You're pretty passionate too, you know."

"I guess," The other fourteen-year-old said, releasing the brunette. "We both are in our own ways."

"You're right." Fumiko nodded as she straightened with a grin.

"'course I am," Janine continued. "You ready?"

"Of course, my answer's not going to change!"

"Then let's get the 'dex."

* * *

"Arm," the man said, and without hesitation, Fumiko proudly presented her forearm, palm up, for him to scan. While there was no visible difference between what was used to scan for IDCs in humans and pokemon, Fumiko knew there were small, palm-sized ones used to log shoplifters or criminals into the system, and the idea of not having an IDC was anathema. Without one, a pokedex was useless as it worked in tandem with the implanted IDC. The man grunted as he pressed the scanner to her arm, and in a second, her general information was up on the screen.

"Kasahara Fumiko, age fourteen as of two days ago."

"Yes, that's correct."

"IDC inserted two days ago on the 11th of January?"

"Yes," she nodded the affirmative. Sure, it'd hurt to have the thing inserted, but the pain was negotiable and worth it when the chip was one of the final ways of identification if all else failed. Plus it helped prevent ID theft, or so they said. Not that she was worried; she was fourteen years old and no-one important. Just some kid from Fuchsia getting her 'dex and Starter.

She nodded twice more, once to confirm her address, the next to confirm her pokegear number, the pink and red device tucked away in her bag for now. She'd likely end up wearing it around her neck or attaching it to her bag or something.

"Right. What colour do you want?"

"Red, please."

The man grunted again and opened a deep drawer, fishing out a gleaming red pokedex that was locked inside an anti-theft box. He shoved it under the scanner, and after a minute the box unlocked, confirming the untouched 'dex was registered to her, and her alone. Even though the basics had been taught in school, Fumiko didn't care how it worked, only that it worked and was hers.

The only part she really cared about was that taking the IDChip out basically made her a nonentity until she could get it replaced. "Thank you."

"Next," the man grunted, and Janine stepped forth. Again, he repeated the process with her, Janine picking yellow. That too was given to her, then the man tossed the boxes into a cart, presumably to be recycled. "One last check."

Both of them obediently held out their arms, flipping open the 'dexes when directed. He scanned their arms again, then turned the screen around so they could see if the IDC numbers matched the IDC numbers on the screen. "This correct?"

"Yes," Fumiko nodded, comparing the two, both highlighted the light blue of all IDC confirmations.

"Yea," Janine agreed with a nod, flipping her new pokedex closed then shoving it into a back pocket, while Fumiko slipped hers into her bag.

He nodded and turned the screen back around. "Want a docket?"

"Yes please."

A few more clicks and the printer spat out two receipts that were then passed on to the pair. "Enjoy the Journey."

"We will. Thank you!" Both chirped as they bowed, Fumiko slightly deeper than her friend. The man returned it, though his was more a quick nod of the head than any true bow. Then, they practically sprinted to the door that would lead them to their future, and into the glory that all people chased after. To not chase after power was unthinkable; pokemon gave power, pokemon were power and to hold and control that power as their own, not in the care of parents or older siblings, was the greatest thing ever.

Who wouldn't want it?

As they reached it, the opaque glass door hissed opened, signalling the start of yet another adventure. Together, they crossed the threshold, eyes firmly on the prizes before them. The door hissed shut with a click.

Neither girl noticed; it was bad luck anyone but them and their dolls to be in the room at the moment they picked up the pokeball and became Trainers.

Yet for all its importance, the room was simple, almost Spartan in design, lit by several overhead lights that seemed to give the room a softer feel than it rightfully should have had. Even the shelves lining the walls were plain wood, each one holding at least thirty gleaming pokeballs set into indents almost half as deep as the 'ball. It wasn't too shocking; this was the Main 'Centre in Fuchsia, and by the looks of the full shelves, they'd just received a new shipment. Each one gleamed red and white under the lights, the two visible indicator lights on top bright brackish-white against red.

"A world of dreams and adventures await," Fumiko murmured, clutching Miiko to her chest briefly before making the doll do a short bow at the pokemon.

"Yea," Janine nodded, echoing what Fumiko had done with her own doll. "We're ready for this."

Dark brown eyes met blue, and they nodded in agreement then split up, Fumiko heading left and Janine to the right. Both glanced up to the kanji and symbols for Fire, Water, Grass that hung over each section, helpfully colour coded as well. There was no name as to the pokemon contained within: they knew what the monsters would be. How could they not when they'd learned, studied, and memorised it, and other facts, repeatedly though the last two years of compulsory schooling.

 _Charmander. Squirtle. Bulbasaur._

Fumiko came to a stop near the middle of the Fire section, blue eyes peering at the balls with unbridled delight and desire. Soon. Soon she'd own a charmander just like Lance. She couldn't wait! She knew what she was going to name him, too! Something tough, majestic. Something befitting of the winged pseudo-dragon he would become. "Anzu? Are you ready?"

"Yea. What about you?" Janine asked after a few more steps, hand hovering over the pokeball she was going to take.

"Of course I'm ready." She adjusted Miiko so the doll straddled her hip. "On three?"

"Sure. One."

"Two." Fumiko crouched down on a whim, hand reaching out for the 'ball she wanted. She would have a majestic not-dragon, she would. She'd have one just like her hero!

"Three."

Together, the girls grasped their chosen 'balls, and lifted them free of the shelving, never once changing their mind. To do so now, after they'd touched the 'ball in front of the doll, was to invite trouble and ill-fortune on the Journey. They wouldn't tempt the fox to torment them.

"I choose the grass-type, fushigibane, as my Starter on this Journey."

"I choose the fire-type, hitokage, as my Starter on this Journey."

The words were more ritual than anything, but it was important, just like they wouldn't meet their new pokemon until just before the first battle. They were not pets.

They were battlers, and it was important they be treated as such.

Together, they headed out of the room, pokeballs soon switched to the other hand and pressed tight against the doll.

It was time to find their families and head to the Temple-Shrine. **Clarifications.** The main criteria for this is if I do not make it clear within the narrative at some point. _Shin'ō_ \- Japanese name for Sinnoh. _kingurā_ \- Kantan pronunciation of kingler's Japanese name. _yukiwarashi_ \- snorunt's Japanese name.


	4. THREE - First Battle

Warnings  
\- Some ethnocentric views  
\- Briefly touched on implied homo- and trans-phobia.

* * *

The ride to the Awa Temple-Shrine was short and uneventful, save for when Janine pulled out her phone to watch the newest video of Hoenn's Dome Ace Tucker and ramble on about how he combined both Contest shows and Battling into something of an artform, unlike Wallace Byeon Sootopolis. This, in turn, led to a small argument over the outfits, and even the driver chimed in with a derisive comment on how any man who dressed like Tucker had to be a fag, or worse, a trap. Likely a trap given he came from one of the small islands Hoenn claimed dominion over. Se-Jiun or something like that.

While Janine disagreed, Fumiko agreed with the driver, though neither could hold a candle to Lance when it came to flair. For all the money Wallace had, he wasn't even in the same league as the Tatsuno clan-member. After that, the argument shifted again into a well-worn battle, both girls furiously pulling up the latest videos, Vines, and tweets to support their side in the latest round of Lance Vs Wallace.

Yet all too soon the phones were put away and they were standing in front of the massive Miwa-style torii gate that led into the Complex grounds. On either side of the gate was a statue of Arceus; standing at three and a half foot at the shoulder, it was thankfully only a third of the Immortal's true size. Yet it still seemed intimidating, as if it were alive somehow.

After a polite, if not nervous, bow to the Immortal, the two girls held the dolls in front of them, heads high as they took the steps while their family followed them, clapping as they passed under it, with their fathers clapping twice; once for themselves and once for the girls.

Fumiko thought this was to announce their presence to both the Immortals and the monks and priestesses of the Temple-Shrine, even if she knew the torii gate had builtin security cameras.

The path to the Shrine part of the Complex wasn't that long, though the stairs, each step three or so paces deep, made it seem so, and they must have climbed at least twenty or more steps before they passed under another torii-gate, this one built in the shime-style. On the left, there was a statue of Jirachi with all three eyes open, and half covered in wish-charms tied to a golden rope, as if that would curry favour with the Wish-God. Once the Rite was over, they'd add their own wishes for the future. Again, the clapping happened, but this time the girls and the dolls bowed as well before crossing the threshold.

If you asked Fumiko, the atmosphere of the place was charged, with the smell of ash and fire hanging in the air alongside the incense within braziers placed around the grounds. Here and there, she saw monks and priestesses, all of them dressed in in light coloured samue, all sporting the traditional carry-pouches for pokeballs. Most seemed busy, while one of them conversed with a woman in a grey jumper with collared shirt poking out, jeans, sandals, and a full belt of pokemon all in shining gold luxuryballs.

 _Rich_ , the teen thought bitterly. _Rich and showing off_. Luxuryballs weren't cheap, not when the gold was literally embedded into the base metal of the 'ball via some unknown, complicated method Silph Company had come up with. They still sold the gilded kind, but that didn't look as good, even if it stood up to the wear and tear a person could put a 'ball through in its lifetime. Even the belt they were hooked to and the clothes the woman wore looked of money.

She mentally shook herself; those kinds of 'balls were frivolous status symbols. Still, it would be nice... Yet... No. It would be nice to have such a status symbol on her belt and maybe she'd put her Starter in one eventually. She glanced down at Miiko, arms tightening around the doll in an effort to resist the urge to take her new pokemon's 'ball off her belt, and it wasn't helped as they passed a number of special, small arenas where they'd later hold their first Trainer Battle against each other once the Rite was over. For now, she continued forward, keeping level with Janine and her mouth shut.

This walk was both for them and not; it was for the doll they carried. For a friend they'd soon lose. It was a reflection of the path that lay ahead, of the choice they'd made. She could have her doll blessed, but that didn't feel right or respectful to the spirit of the doll. It felt like a selfish act done not because she wasn't Journeying, but because she wanted to be selfish.

No, better the doll be burned. It was the way things were.

It didn't take them long to reach the purification fountain and they stopped short of it. They were not allowed near it. Instead, they stood silent, watching as the families moved ahead to carry out the cleansing ritual, Koga and Aya both also rinsing their mouths. The water was spat out beside the fountain. Another clap, and they headed up towards the main house where an elderly monk and a chimecho were waiting.

"Welcome, all of you," he said with a deep bow before addressing the two girls directly. "Your names?"

"Kasahara Fumiko and this is Miiko," Fumiko said softy, as if speaking any louder than a whisper would break whatever spell was in the air. She nodded to Miiko, making the doll do a short bow.

"Shinozaki Anzu." Like Fumiko, Janine's voice was also a whisper. "This is Zuzu."

The monk's smile seemed to light up his face and radiate warmth. "Today is the day?"

"Yes, it is," both girls said as one, shoulders squared. Whatever they felt, they had to do this.

"This way then," The monk bowed again then lead them inside to the main altar-pit where they would surrender the dolls to the purifying flames. Made of stone, it has a small recessed area in the centre and a pot of strange smelling fire-oil sat next to the altar proper, while to the other side a small fire burned at the centre of a stone basin that had been dressed in a ritual rope of camerupt-red. Red taper-sticks sat near it in a black lacquered box covered with golden peace inlays.

The girls looked between them and Janine shook her head slightly, stepping back with a hesitant look.

"We'll go first," Fumiko murmured, Miiko clutched tightly against her chest as she stepped up to it. Did she want to do the Rite of Luck? Did she want to give up a friend- a doll she'd hand-made so long ago?

Of course; burning Miiko was good luck and releasing the soul meant she'd be protected on her Journey because it would watch over her. Besides, everyone knew about the friend of a friend's brother who hadn't, and ended up dead because of it. After a brief moment of hesitation staring at the recessed stone, she placed Miiko on it. Better to be unselfish towards friends than selfish. With a nervous giggle, she took the ladle and poured one scoop of fire-oil over Miiko. "Th...Thank you for w-watching over me. Now... N-Now I return y-you to the heavens."

With more poise than she felt, she took one of the taper-sticks, lit it, then touched it to Miiko. The effect was instant as flame engulfed the wooden doll, eagerly accepting the taper-stick when Fumiko added it as well. She clapped her hands twice then bowed, deep and respectful, even if she was shaking and struggling not to cry. "I'll miss you, Miiko. Thank you for being my friend, and watching over me as I grew."

It was a with a shaky breath she straightened, watching the flames until they were gone. Only then did she pour another scoop of fire-oil onto the remains and relight it, continuing the cycle until only the ashes remained. After another minute, she took the offered dustpan and brush and swept them up. Then, she carefully walked around the back and scattered them into the small opening that led to an underground stream several metres below.

Three meters back from that was an old wooden shrine which she was careful not to look at, lest she tempt the spirits that lived within.

Without another word she turned, took one of the wooden wish-charms from the bucket, and returned the objects to the monk with another deep bow, humbling accepting the ink-pen in return. "May her soul find peace."

"It has," the monk said at the same time as the wooden shrine seemed to creak, the sound far more ominous than it had any right to be, and the brunette tensed. Yet she refused to look. Instead, she scribbled down her wish, kana almost unreadable, then returned the ink-pen with another bow. Finally, she made her way back to her parents' side, hooked the charm's ties around her wrist, and automatically grabbed both their hands.

"She's at peace," Hiroyuki murmured to his daughter. "You're braver than I was."

"Oh..." She hadn't known that, but now was not the time to ask her father what he meant. Instead, she fell silent, watching as Janine took her place to carry out the ritual. It took longer than Fumiko's, but a glance at Koga showed there was a proud smile on his face, one that turned into a true grin as Janine rejoined them with her own wish-charm, all but burying her face against her father's chest.

"I'm proud of you," the Gymleader said simply when the girl pulled away. "It's almost over."

"Right, of course," Janine nodded as she stepped away. "Fumiko?"

"Uh- Ok." With another glance back at her family, she swallowed, then followed Janine to the doors of the wooden shrine. Intricately carved out of a deep, dark wood that was almost red in colour, it was impossible to put an age on it; but both girls knew it was ancient. Possibly from the time of the Empire of Kings. Together, they pulled it open to reveal a brass bell suspended between two dark poles made of the same wood as the door. Both the poles and the bell were covered in carvings and etchings of spirits and ghosts, with banette featuring prominently. A rope hung from the ringer, and together they reached out and rang it four times, each dong heavy with a final finality declaring to all the world they'd never see the dolls again.

They then clapped twice and bowed. "Farewell and goodbye, my friend."

Stepping back they closed the doors, the sound only adding to the mood, then spun on their heels and walked away, careful to keep their heads up. They had lost a friend, but as sad as they were, they had to look to the future.

"Let's go find an arena," her mother said once they were out of the building, and headed towards the arenas.

"Yea!" Yuichi chimed up from his place beside Yoshio. "I wanna see the pokemon. I bet they'll be really awesome, like Saikai or Hirohito's are."

"Isn't Hirohito's the dātengu?" Yoshio asked, peering down at his baby brother.

"Nuh-uh, that's Tai and he's a jerk! Hirohito has the ēfi." He pointed to his shirt as if to empathise the espeon that sat on the meganium's back.

"Well... Mine and Anzu's are much cooler, and you'll get to see a real battle up close," Fumiko interjected with a laugh. "And it'll be my first one, too."

Because what training she'd given Minryu hadn't been for battling but housetraining; she'd never battled Minryu. Nor Numui, and maybe if she'd trained him a bit, he wouldn't have- She shook her head. No, today of all days she wasn't going to dwell on that; not when she was about to have her first ever pokemon battle with her new pokemon.

Yes, today was a happy day, and she wouldn't allow memories of a pet to taint her memories of the day.

"Hey, Anzu, what about this one?" she called, pointing to one of the arenas as they walked past it.

"You sure?"

"Yea, I am," the teenager nodded, adjusting her path so she was headed towards it. Unlike the typical ones commonly found in cities and towns, the special arenas on Temple-Shrine grounds were maybe only four metres in length by two metres wide, more than enough for two rookie pokemon to have their first battle. If one listened carefully, they could hear the hum of the underground forcefield generators, ready for the touch of a switch to spring them to life to protect the Trainers and the bystanders. All arenas had to have one; it was the law.

As one, both girls unhooked their Starter's pokeball from the belt.

"Alright... Are you ready?" Janine asked with a roll of her shoulders, dropping the 'ball to the ground to reveal her bulbasaur. Unlike pictures, this one was still young and new-green with patchy darker spots across the scale-like skin. It was maybe two months old at best, with the base of the bulb coming up to under her knee; not even close to where it stopped at about 2'4. With a nod to the question Fumiko released her charmander, the tiny raptorish reptile appearing in a multicoloured flash of light. Like the bulbasaur, it was small, about a month and a half old and came up to about the same point at the shoulder. He was orange, slightly duller than the pictures she'd seen, but that meant nothing; it was still only young.

"Cool," she grinned, watching as it –he– turned his head to face her, and Fumiko's smile only grew bigger. They seemed to have eyes the same colour, though the charmander's pupils were constricted vertical slits. "He's pretty cute, isn't he."

"Uh, Fumiko, dear?" her mother said, "that's not a male."

"Of course he is, don't be silly," Fumiko replied, peering down at the charmander who was now looking about and sniffing the air. A female charmander? But-those were so rare that getting one was a one-in-seven chance, and if she had a female, everyone'd want her to breed the char when it was mature. While she didn't mind, that'd mean she'd lose a battler for at least two months out of every year. "He-He can't be...?" she continued, wide-eyed as Koga crouched to examine the creature, even lifting its tail at one point.

He stood with a nod, arms crossed, while Yuichi, Kaori, and Hikaru looked on in confusion. How anyone could tell the gender of a lizard from looking at the butt was beyond them. "Your mother is correct, Fumiko-chan."

"O-Oh... Umm..." She bit her lip, then shrugged. "I-It doesn't matter."

"The Immortals blessed you," her elder brother said firmly, and Fumiko blinked. When had he manned the switch for the 'field?

"Or the doll," Aya added with a smile.

"Um... I guess?" Truth be told, Fumiko had simply been lucky in following that whim.

"Perhaps it was both." Koga uncrossed his arms, walking to the side of the 'field and turning back to the two new Trainers. "Are you ready for battle?"

"Yes, of course!" Fumiko said, pointing to the field. The charmander seemed to understand, and she trotted out with a small chirp, the bulbasaur following after his foe with a snort-like grunt.

"Hey, you gotta name for your hito'?" Janine shouted as they took their places on either side of the field.

"Yea, I do!" Fumiko grinned, pointing with her free hand at the charmander shifting from foot to foot, obviously impatient like her mistress for the battle start. Fumiko liked the lizard pokemon already. "Her name's Hinoa. What about you?"

"I'll name him at Matsumomura," Janine called back. "Bad luck if I do before."

Fumiko frowned, but didn't have a chance to ask why; the forceshield crackled to life in a burst of light then settled on a barely visible shimmering pale-blue. Koga dropped his hand with a barked command. "Start."

"Body Blow!" Janine confidently called out, the pokemon responding as it tackled the startled charmander, knocking it back a good foot.

"Cry!" Fumiko called the command for a Growl, and though she was far less confident than Janine was, Hinoa obeyed, letting lose something of a high-pitched sound that seemed to shake the bulbasaur. "Good! Do it again!" She called, even as Janine ordered another tackle attack. This one sent the pokemon back again, and Fumiko bit her lip.

Yet she couldn't ask for help; it was her first battle and it was up to her to learn how to put theory into practice. Maybe she'd been naive in avoiding battling until now, but it was too late to second guess herself. "Um– Scratch!"

"Body Blow!" Janine ordered yet again, even as the charmander's sharp claws dug into the bulbasaur's face, drawing blood and a cry of pain. The Tackle knocked the charmander to the ground, the lizard pokemon struggling to get up and obey Fumiko's order to use Scratch again.

It didn't make it; another Tackle knocked it out, and Fumiko reluctantly called the unconscious pokemon back into its 'ball, while Janine did the same as the 'shield fell.

"That was a good battle," she said, even as she somehow managed to dig out her wallet, and fork over two one-hundred yen coins; everyone knew money was always given to the winner at the end of a battle.

"Yea, thanks," Janine tucked the coins into her pocket, then grinned as she offered her hand to her friend. "You did pretty good."

"You think so?" Fumiko asked as she took it, clasping hands briefly before letting go.

"Yea. I do."

"But..." She bit her lip, looking away. "I lost-"

" _Yea_ ," Kaori muttered snidely, arms crossed.

"I thought you said it'd be better than the battles on TV!" Yuichi whined sulkily. "You didn't even win!"

"I-" Fumiko recoiled, hanging her head as her hands balled into fists. She'd lost in front of her family. How could she be so weak? "I– I-"

She'd done her best, yet she looked away, the words stuck in her throat and refusing to come out. Damnit, she really was weak. She was positive Lance hadn't lost his first Trainer Battle, and how could she be as strong and awesome as her hero if she was _weak_?

The answer was she couldn't be; the weak were never heros.

"To lose is hardly the end of the world. In order to grow stronger, one must sometimes lose," Koga said as he approached the girls.

"What?" Fumiko blinked, head snapping up to stare at the Gymleader like he'd grown a second head. "I- I lost in front of _my family_!"

"Yea," Kaori and Yuichi said in unison, an ugly scowl across Kaori's face. Judging her, Fumiko thought, because she'd lost.

"He's right. No-one likes to lose, but admitting you did, even when you gave your all, isn't weakness," her mother added with a smile while Hikaru nodded in agreement. "It helps you grow. Even your father has lost a few battles, isn't that right, dear?"

"Yea," the man grunted, hands in pockets. "Yet I grew stronger because I learned from why I lost."

"The Sentai _never_ lose!"

"Yea they do, and you cry when it happens," Kaori snapped, smirking at her brother's scowl. "It's true, you muchūru."

"I am _not_!"

" _Yes, you are_!"

"Kaori!" Miyako hissed sharply, clearly not in the mood for any of the ten-year-old's antics. At the same time, Yuichi stomped his foot pointing at his older sister, whine clear as day in his voice. "Make her take it back!"

"But it's true!" Kaori retorted, even as she wilted under her mother's fierce glare. "Fine... Sorry."

Fumiko closed her eyes, trying not to let her sister's outburst run the day. Of all the days Kaori could have picked to bully Yuichi, it had to be this one.

"Regardless, what are you planning to do now?" Aya interjected as Miyako took Kaori aside for some hushed scolding.

"Start our Journey, of course," Fumiko declared slightly louder than needed in an effort to pretend her siblings hadn't almost ended up in another fight on the day that was supposed to be all about her. But the enthusiasm quickly turned into a wince when Janine smacked her over the head. "Wha -" she shot her friend a look before blinking and smiling nervously. "Oh! Um, go heal our pokemon?"

"Or, you use this," Hiroyuki said, offering a max revive to Fumiko while Koga handed a potion to Janine.

"Thanks, dad," Janine said as she released her bulbasaur to apply the medicine under Koga's watchful eyes, while Fumiko did the same, forcing the max revive into the unconscious charmander's mouth and stroking the neck to make Hinoa swallow it.

"Give it a few seconds," her father said softly. "Holding it against the button on the 'ball works, too."

"Oh... The textbooks never said anything about that..." Fumiko muttered weakly as Hinoa started to stir with a small growl. "Thanks, dad."

Hiroyuki smiled; his daughter would learn that textbooks didn't hold all the answers. "You're welcome. So, your plans?"

"Well... We gotta head to Matsumo-mura..." Fumiko said thoughtfully, even as she recalled the now awake charmander and clipped the ball to her belt, where it sat next to Minryu's safariball. A sharp whine of 'But mum-' had them all glance over in time to see Kaori storm back to the group, face as dark as a Zapdos-driven stormcloud fresh from the ocean.

"I guess you did ok," the child said bitterly, and Fumiko offered her a smile. "But next time, don't lose, ok?"

"Thanks, Kao-chan. I promise not to lose next time."

"Where's that?" Yuichi asked, shifting from foot to foot as Miyako rejoined them, whispering something in her husband's ear; he nodded once. Fumiko wondered what that was about, but didn't dwell on it. Kaori had apologised and that was that.

"Umm..." Come to think of it, where was the village?

"On the other side of the 'Zone, so... about ten or so days travel given we'll have to skirt it," Janine said with a thoughtful frown.

" _Ten days_?!" Fumiko looked was like, forever and ever. "Whyyyy?"

"It is hill country," Koga said as he pulled out a map, offering it to Janine, who took it with a small bow. "Great farmland, too."

"Think of it as an adventure, Fumiko," Janine laughed, stuffing the map into a back pocket.

"Even so, do you not have one more thing to complete before you embark on this adventure?" Aya asked, nodding towards the purification station.

"Ah, right."

Both girls headed towards it and carried out the cleansing ritual in silence while their families hung back respectfully. Like her father and aunt, Janine also rinsed her mouth, spitting the water out beside the fountain. As one they stepped back and clapped, giving a deep bow from the waist, a silver pendant sliding out from under Fumiko's shirt.

"We're Trainers?"

"We're Trainers." Fumiko nodded, then bolted for the Jirachi statute, Janine hot on her heels. Superstition said the first one to tie a tag to the Immortal would have their wish granted, and while Fumiko didn't believe in it, it was still fun to try and be the first.

They reached the statue in a dead tie. "Awww. I wanted to be first."

"We both are," Janine said as she found a free space to tie her wish-tag, the wood clacking against the rest, and unlike Fumiko, Janine's kana were legible and neat. "Fumiko?" She asked after several seconds when her friend still hadn't tied hers on, and a closer look revealed the older teen staring at a patch of what she assumed was some sort of large vaguely shaped bush that had at one stage been warded off by posts and rope. The rope had long rotted away, but the posts remained. "Kantō to Fumiko. There's nothing there."

"Huh?" Fumiko blinked, blue eyes locking with Janine's brown. "Did you say something?"

"Yea... you gonna tie your tag on?" She pointed at the statue. "Bad luck if you don't."

"Oh... r-right." One last glance at the bush, then she shrugged the weird feeling off and tied the wish tag to Jirachi, then stepped back with a clap and a bow. "I didn't- I m-must have thought I-I saw something."

Janine blinked. "A bug or something?"

"P-probably," she shrugged sheepishly, squeaking when Janine linked arms with her and started half tugging her back towards the entrance.

"H-Hey-!"

"We'll see you at the entrance!" Janine called back, getting a short nod from her father. "Ok," she said, releasing Fumiko and turning so she was walking backwards while they talked. "We'll need to stock up for the trip. What 'Mart should we go to?"

"Sanada 'Mart is on the outskirts, so maybe there. We can get the free chow, too... but... ten days is a lot and we don't have that much..."

A contemplative look crossed the ninja-to-be's face. "How much do you have?"

"Um... five thousand five hundred and fourteen yen? But, I think mum and dad'll give me a bit more?" They likely would, and she'd make the rest of her money through battles like all travelling Trainers. "What about you?"

"You'd hit me if I told you," the ninja said, hands on hips and Fumiko was inclined to agree. For all Janine seemed like a middle-class teenager, she _wasn't_ , and it sometimes showed. "It's decided then, I'll buy our food for the Journey to Matsumomura."

"Ah- I can-"

"It is settled, Fumiko."

"Ah, thank you very much," she gave a deep bow, even as Janine waved it off.

"I don't mind. We are besties, right?"

"Always and forever," Fumiko said with a sharp nod, then eyed the Miwa torii gate with a grin. "Come on. I'll race you to the bottom! Loser buys the winner a premier ball!"

"Deal!" Janine laughed, and together, they bolted for the gate.

* * *

 **Clarifications.** The main criteria for this is if I do not make it clear within the narrative at some point.  
 _Body Blow_ \- Japanese name for 'Tackle'.  
 _Cry_ \- Japanese name for 'Growl'.  
 _Matsumomura_ \- Mossgreen village. An anime only village that showed up in the original series of the pokemon anime.  
 _Muchūru_ \- The Japanese name of smoochum, the young of a jynx; one in nine are males, though the common perception is of an all-female species. 'You muchūru' is a common way of saying crybaby, and it can be used with any baby pokemon's name.  
 _Dātengu_ \- Kantan pronunciation of shiftry's Japanese name.


	5. FOUR The Journey starts with shopping?

Shortly after the girls reached the torii gate than a burst of light appeared, signalling a teleportion arrival. They blinked, instinctively squinting, though unlike a Flash the light wasn't sun-and-Eye blinding.

It seemed to be a pokemon-driven teleport, and as the light cleared they could start to make out the details of the monster. It was a coarse-furred form of an older adult electabuzz that was probably past its prime. A single, dark, beady eye stared out at the world, the other eye merely a socket marred by ugly scars. The stump of a tail lashed behind it while a faint ripple of electricity cracked along its body and between what was left of its antennae. The creature sat in a vaguely male simian position, legs coiled under it as most of its weight rested on thick, powerful arms that looked as if they had been designed for scaling sheer cliffs.

"I didn't know erebū could teleport," Fumiko whispered, peering at the pokemon critically. It was ugly and gross and should just be replaced. Maybe it was still around because it was a stud or something.

"M.M.," Janine answered, hand going to the two 'balls on her belt. Fumiko did the same, even though she knew it would likely be in vain; the electabuzz had to be some kind of former battler and was probably high level. Yet, it was better to have any power at their fingertips, just in case, than be helpless and weak.

"Ah," Fumiko nodded in understanding; T.M.'s could teach any pokemon almost any move.

"Can we do that again?" the boy asked, hopping excitedly from foot to foot.

"Perhaps," the woman replied calmly.

Both girls relaxed at the voices; they knew these people. Janine almost ran to the older woman, throwing her arms around her in a hug. Fumiko herself hung back eyeing the electric-eating monster, who didn't even react to Janine's almost tackle-hug of her mother; the sign of a well-in-hand pokemon.

"Mum! Kotaro! You made it?" Janine asked as she stepped back, only to scoop the younger boy up in a hug just as fierce. "I thought you both- You came?"

"I can afford to take a little time away from the store, and Kotaro's studies will not suffer because of this," Janine's mother said with a small smile, recalling the pokemon and replacing the ball into one of the carry-pouches below the obi of her tomesode. Unlike the leather of Aya and Koga, this one was stiffened cotton, coloured and patterned so it matched the obi.

"Yea, I'm top of my classes!" Kotaro added, holding up what looked to be a rather expensive, if not sturdily made, backpack and offering it to his big sister. "You almost forgot this."

"Oh... Thank you," Janine said with a sheepish smile and blink she accepted it, slinging the bag onto her back, where it settled, seemingly custom-made for her.

Fumiko didn't doubt it was. For a second, a flash of jealousy threatened to rise before she squished it. From a Gymfamily or not, Janine was her best friend in the whole world.

"I putted a betobeton charm on it," he said as he pointed where the muk charm dangled, before digging something out of his pocket then turning to Fumiko. "'nd this is for you, Fu-chan."

"Thank you very much, Kotaro-kun," Fumiko said with a bow as she accepted the charm. Looking at it revealed it was also a muk; under the watch of the boy she put it on her bag, grinning as the sludge pokemon shone in the daylight. "There, how does it look?"

"Perfect!"

"Very nice," the mother said, while Janine gave a thumbs up. "So," the mother continued, "what did you both choose?"

"Fushigidane," "Hitokage," they said together, then after a nudge from Janine, Fumiko reluctantly added, "Anzu won our First."

"I see," Janine's mother said, still with that same, soft, understanding smile. "Are you ashamed?"

"W-what? N-No! I-Just..." Fumiko looked down, her shoes suddenly much more interesting than they'd been before. "It was my first battle, ever. And I-"

"Ah, so you are like me."

"You... you waited?"

"Yes. Be at ease; win or lose, is it not the same result? Your first battle as a Trainer is memorable."

"I... Y-yes, I guess so."

"What matters is how you proceed, is that not true, my dear?" the woman said nodding in greeting, and Fumiko half turned to watch the rest of the families approach.

"She's right," Koga agreed with a polite nod, only to let out a small off as Kotaro latched on to his father with an 'I got you!' "You certainly did," the man agreed, ruffling the boy's hair.

"So, where are you girls off to now?" Hiroyuki asked.

"I... Well..." Fumiko started, only for Janine to finish, "to the Sanada 'Mart, of course. We are Trainers now."

"Y-yea, and you owe me a premierball," the brunette said with a small victory sign.

"That too," Janine agreed easily with an 'it is as it is' shrug.

Kaori peered at both before returning her attention back to Aya and the once again out of the pokeball froslass, while Yuichi and Hikaru blinked, staring at Fumiko. "You're faster than a ninja?"

"Ninja-in-training!" Janine corrected with a proud look, while Fumiko nodded with a small 'just a bit faster.'

"Cool!" Yuichi exclaimed while Hikaru chimed in with an "I have the best sister ever!"

Fumiko ducked her face. "If you think so, Hika."

" _I do_!" the almost eight-year-old said, hands on hips with a stern expression on her face.

"Next year, I'll be a training ninja too!" Kotaro chimed in, the nine-year-old attempting to emulate his father's typical stoic appearance as a Gymleader, complete with arms crossed. The display drew a small smile from the Gymleader and his wife.

"Of course you will," Janine laughed, ruffling her brother's hair to the point it was now a complete bird's nest, grinning at the squawk as the boy scowled up at her before ducking around to hide behind their mother.

"Regardless, we won't hold you much longer then," Miyako said before the siblings could get into too much of a banter, Hiroyuki nodding in agreement as his wife pulled out her wallet. "Here."

Fumiko gaped as roughly twenty thousand yen was pushed into her hands, most of it the crisp newness of polymer notes straight from the bank. "Mum? Dad?"

"We know you've saved, but we wanted to make sure you had enough."

"I-T... thanks, both of you. Th... This..." Fumiko stuttered out, and once the money was safely in her wallet she gave both her mother and father the biggest, strongest bear hugs she could. "Thank you so much."

She could buy so many things with the money!

"You're welcome," her father said with a warm smile, while her mother nodded. "If anything happens, come home, Fumiko. We don't want to lose you."

* * *

It took them a mere rent-an-abra teleport, only 1535 yen each, to reach the outskirts of Fuchsia where the Sanada 'Mart was, and unlike the main centre of the city around the Gym and Main Pokemon Centre, the traffic was mostly on foot or simple buggy carts drawn by 'dash. Here and there they saw people riding pokemon, mostly ponyta, including one Trainer on a dodrio. At walking speed no less, and both stared before turning to each other and blinking.

"That's..."

"A feat. Yea," Fumiko agreed as they took off walking towards the Sanada 'Mart.

They entered to the jingle of the door chime, modelled after some type of clam-like sea-creature that didn't even resemble any known clam or shellfish pokemon. An old, faded ofuda hung off it, and even with squinting, it was too hard to make out if it was a purified Spell Tag or a simple ofuda used as a ward against ghosts and yurei.

"Hey, they've got bonguri-styled 'balls," Fumiko whispered, pointing towards the smooth black shape of the heavyball that sat on a shelf behind the main cashier counter. Unlike regular pokeballs, these ones were strange, lightless things somehow made from the apricorns found across the world. Yet, somehow they contained IDCs like all 'balls. Fumiko wasn't sure she trusted them; pokeballs had lights because the lights helped tell if the 'ball was functional or not.

"Huh? Oh!" Janine gasped, nudging Fumiko's gaze to the top shelf. There, sitting behind bulletproof glass and an APF, was the gleaming rust-red of a cherishball. Like the apriballs it didn't sport the indicator lights, but that didn't change the fact it was rust-red metal, smooth and shiny. The price tag said cash only next to the insane price. Janine pouted. "Boo..."

"So you saw it, huh?" the cashier, an older man, called, laughing when the girls nodded as they moved out of the entrance way.

"You- you want it?" Fumiko blinked, eyes wide as they darted from it to Janine then back again. "That's... are you..?"

"It'd be cool to stick my konpan in it, but..." She wrinkled her nose. "I think my great-grandmother would murder me for using clan funds for something so useless."

"Oh..." Fumiko nodded, not sure what else to say to that. "Well... W-we are only Rookies."

"Yea. Maybe when I'm older- I can get you one too~."

" _What?_!" Fumiko waved her hands in front of her face to accentuate the denial. "T-That's not needed. But, thank you for the offer."

"Alright," Janine said with an easy grin that drew yet another squeak from the Kasahara girl, "but the offer stands."

"Um... S-sure?" Fumiko agreed with a nervous smile, silently hoping Janine wouldn't spring one on her at some point; as nice as the gesture would be, saving up to buy one seemed better, if not a _colossal_ waste of money. Yet, having one... Just having one would make her seem super rich. Maybe she would start saving for that as well.

She had a lot to save for already, and she'd only been a Trainer for less than a few hours.

"Alright, I'll get our food, my stuff, and you get your items and stuff." Janine declared.

"Um... What about the 'chow? W-we get free...?"

"Yea, but that's uh..." A hand came up to her chin as the ninja-to-be thought, then shrugged. "I'd get some extra. Enough for twenty days maybe?"

" _Twenty_ days?!"

"Yea," Janine nodded. "Once it's in the bag, it's not gonna weight much, if anything at all. Plus you want enough just in case you get lost."

"I won't get lost!" Fumiko interjected with a scowl. "I passed Orienteering!"

And she had a pokegear with its inbuilt GPS-thingy.

"I know, but, Fumiko..." Janine sighed, hand against forehead. "There aren't a lot of cities or towns under Sekichiku's jurisdiction, so you have to plan ahead."

"Ok.." Fumiko nodded, unsure, but trusting her bestie. "Um... Shall we meet back in half an hour?"

"Pffft. What, and let you spend all your money?" Janine shot her friend a knowing look. "We'll get the food first."

"Sure," Fumiko nodded, pointedly ignoring the look. She wouldn't spend it on all the things. They didn't even have an attached Wild-1.

"Great!" Janine said, grabbing one of the shopping trolleys, and at Fumiko's look, she smirked. "Trust me, 'Ko, we've got ten days. Grab a trolley and come on."

"Please don't spend that much-!"

"I'm paying," Janine laughed. "But I'll try not to price-shock you."

"You better not, or -or I'll kick you," Fumiko grumbled as she took a trolley of her own and followed after the Shinozaki girl.

Between them, they managed to half fill Janine's trolley with a good variety of tinned food. Included in there were a moderately sized jar of peanut butter and at least twenty 1.25 litre water bottles, and Fumiko had never been more grateful for the sub-space tech built into almost all bags. Otherwise, they would be living on rations and limited supplies, and while she knew some Trainers did it, it did not sound fun in the slightest.

Along with that, was bug spray, wet wipes and the all-important female hygiene. 'Neither of us is due in the next ten days, but just in case,' Janine had said as she tossed them in.

"Now can we get-"

"Yea. Lead the way."

She didn't quite bounce on the spot, even as she started to push her mostly empty cart in the general direction of Trainer related items.

 _I wonder how many Rookies have attempted to cheat the system_ , Fumiko thought as she stared at the shelves full of items, most of them sorted into one of seven stages. The stages were all based on how many badges a non-adult Trainer carried, and, as she stared at the max potions, revives, and full restores on the shelves, Fumiko could only assume it was because adults were far more mature. Her hand reached for one, but then she pulled it back with a small head shake. No, reading the label would tempt her.

She hurried past the displays of held items; even then her eyes strayed, skipping over things like Amulet Coins or Damp Rocks. Once she had two or more badges, she'd be able to buy those, and Sharp Beaks or Mystic Waters or Black Glasses.

"Of course I can't buy that now," Fumiko huffed as she passed one of the racks.

"Huh?" Came Janine's voice from behind.

"The Charcoal amulets," the girl said, pointing to the rack where the small, stick-like amulets filled with Charcoal sat. These ones were already mounted onto collars, though she knew you could find the unmounted in bigger stores.

"Oh, for Hinoa?"

"Yea, it'd be useful for her flame moves."

"Well, after your Second, yea?"

"Sounds like a plan," Fumiko agreed with a firm nod. Once she had her second badge, she'd be able to buy a lot more things and try out some of the competitive items too.

"Hey, you need 'chow for your fushigi', yea?" Fumiko asked as they turned the aisle into the general pokechow aisle. Unlike the dedicated stores, this one only stocked the most basic of 'chow, sorted not by pokemon but general diet.

"I guess, but they do photosynthesise along with eating plants, so..." Janine said, even as she eyed the general herbivore-feed before grabbing one of the five-kilo bags, dumping it into her trolley, where it landed with a small thump. "You know what's the best thing about sub-tech?"

"Other than carrying a lot of things?" Fumiko began, eyeing all of the items.

"Well, that too, but it's not gonna break on us."

"Unless we stuff a bike in it," Fumiko corrected, even as she started to count on her fingers. "Um.. Hito' eat a kilo a day, yea?"

"Hmmm... I'd get fifteen kilos to be safe, as you will be giving some of that to Minryu. Forcing Hinoa to starve would be cruel, given she can't hunt," Janine advised. "And, we both know Minryu can't hunt either. Not like konpan."

"I won't let her hunt _anyway_ ; she'd think the rest of my team were prey," Fumiko huffed as she started loading in several three-kilo bags, along with a few that were fish based, humming a bit. It would end up expensive, but everyone knew that to allow a char to hunt its own prey resulted in it being unable to tell the difference between friend and prey. Those that could were strange, unnatural oddities that defied the order of things, becoming wild and uncontrollable in most cases.

Even Minryu was fed 'chow, and while it wasn't expensive per se it did add up. But, it was worth it; she'd never be so irresponsible as to not feed her monsters the recommended and approved diet. It just wasn't done.

Even Janine had a kilo of insectivore-chow in her trolley, because for all venonat did hunt, she still had to supplement the diet so the pokemon got all the nutrients needed.

Eventually, the pair reached the rows of pokeballs. While each 'ball sat in its own cardboard box, Silph Co logo displayed with pride, there was also a general anti-psychic field built into the box to prevent shoplifting. From memory, both knew they'd find the general blurb about the style of 'ball on the back. Below the shelves sat boxsets of pokeballs, greatballs, and ultraballs, all grouped in either five, ten, or fifteen. She grabbed two of the ten 'ball boxsets, while Janine took one of the fifteen, then turned to the potions. Between them, they ended up with about forty potions, alongside twenty antidotes and parlyz heals.

"I think that's enough...?" Janine asked, peering at the laden trolleys.

"Mhmm. Maybe some berries too..." They were travelling for ten days – ten days! - instead of the five it would take if they went through the Safari Zone proper, instead of staying the Safari area. Never mind they'd snuck in last year and ended up grounded for months after, Fumiko didn't think she ever wanted to see her father - or Koga- so angry again. "Better safe than sorry?"

Finding the berries required backtracking to the front of the store.

"Oi, Kasahara, Anzu," Came a rough voice she knew from off to the side of one of the isles.

Forcing a smile while Janine rolled her eyes with a grimace, Fumiko turned to face her classmate who was in the company of a girl about the same age as Fumiko and Janine, though her skin was darker and hair a wavy jet black that stopped dead straight at her shoulders. An Islander, if Fumiko had to guess. "Ito-kun, are you... travelling too?"

"Nah," he shook his head, then nodded to the girl beside him. The girl bowed, even as Ito continued to speak. "Môshii-san is starting."

"I hope you have a safe Journey," Fumiko stuttered out as she returned the bow and held for a second longer than she should have. She rose with a smile. Môshii sounded like a native Sevii Islander name. She wasn't sure what to make of it, other than be polite to her, if only because Ito had top marks in the class and his father worked as a civil servant. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, Môshii-san...um."

"Itsuki-kun is my cousin. It is alright," Môshii said, Sevii accent thick and clear as the Eye during the hight of summer. "It is a pleasure to meet you, and thank you."

"So, you're a proper Trainer now?" Ito asked pointedly, hands in pockets, eyes lingering on the pokeballs at the girl's belts. _Jealous_ , she thought, one of her hands coming down to shield the 'balls.

"Yea," Janine grunted, arms crossed.

"I am, yes. You are one too?" Fumiko asked, even knowing he likely wasn't. He wasn't old enough.

"Not 'til August," he said with a scowl before flashing a grin. "Or I'd travel with you and Anzu."

Janine's smile turned forced. "I'm sorry that you can't travel with us."

"S-Same here," somehow she managed to keep her smile in place, even as she thanked the Immortals he wasn't even close to starting his own Journey. Technically he could, but most parents waited until the kids were legally of age to travel. It was just easier rather than carrying, and potentially losing, a special permissions card. "W-what about you Môshii-san?"

"I am going to take Nae'shou... Ah... the Rite of Seven," she said with a nervous smile. "And then, I would like to take a try a few Gyms."

"I- I wish you luck," Fumiko said, even as she started to bag up a handful of leppa berries.

"The Sekichiku Gym is one of the harder ones," Janine added with a slight smirk.

"Yes, I have heard; Kyō Shinozaki-" Here Fumiko and Janine twitched; Islanders _never_ said names the right way, but she held her tongue as her friend scowled, turning her attention to bagging some cheri berries for the long trip ahead of them. "-is said to be tough even for a First battle."

"Yes. That's true," Fumiko agreed; even with the level restrictions for a First Badge battle, Koga was known for his strategies that changed based on who he was facing. "Um, if you don't mind...?"

"We can shop and talk," Ito smirked, shifting his weight in a way that Fumiko knew only too well meant he wasn't going anywhere. Internally she tried not to wilt. "And maybe after, you can show off your miniryū. My cousin's never seen one."

"Um..." A glance at the girl's face showed the hope and awe she'd seen many times since obtaining her dratini. It was slightly uncomfortable, but she knew from experience that not showing off would lead to either rumours that she'd only a common nidoran in the 'ball, or worse, labelled a liar. "A-Alright," Fumiko stuttered with a short nod. "Y-You are a friend, right?"

"'Course I am," Ito laughed. "Why wouldn't I be. You're nice."

"Then help us with the rest of the berries, Ito-kun." Janine stated as she put the bag of berries in Fumiko's trolley. "And I'll throw in my konpan too, huh?"

"It's not _my_ shopping..." the boy began with a groan.

"It would be a pleasure," Môshii interrupted with a clap of her hands. "What do you need?" Fumiko told her, pointing them out as needed, and within moments the three of them had the rest of her wanted berries. "Thank you," she said as the last bag made its way into the trolley. "I... Um."

"Let's pay for this," Janine said, somehow managing to take charge of the awkward situation, and lead them all to the cashier.

They only had to have their pokedexes scanned to receive the free kilo bags of 'chow. Yet, it also served another purpose: ensuring they only bought what they where legally entitled to. Along with the premier ball bought, with the girls each received free ones based on the number of pokeballs bought. There was also some price-shock on the others' part and Janine only laughed, happily paying the amount. Once everything was stowed away in the girls' bags, they made their way outside and away from the entrance of the store.

"I would like to see this miniryū..." Môshii said uncertainly. "And the konpan, please?"

"Ok," Fumiko said with a small sigh, unhooking the safariball that was Minryu's home. She hit the release button and with a flash of light the dratini was before them, yawning as she looked around. The pokemon's scales shimmered in the light, the blue almost Immortal-blessed in nature. Probably close to another shed, Fumiko thought excitedly. This time she'd be sure to collect the skin and hopefully sell it or get something made of it. "This is Minryu."

"And this is a Gym-bred konpan," Janine said as she tossed the 'ball into the air, allowing it to fall a good half metre away and release the venonat, who shook itself, staring unblinking up at everyone with purple-red faceted eyes. "My father gave it to me," she added, catching the 'ball on the rebound with ease.

"Oh, that is a very expensive gift, Anzu-san." Môshii said, eyes wide as she stared at both the pokemon. "You both very lucky are."

"Eh? You think so?" Fumiko said as she crouched next to Minryu, scratching an earfin to draw a small hiss of appreciation out of her pet. Yea, close to shedding.

"You're welcome to pet him," the Shinozaki girl said, motioning to the venonat. "Just be sure to only run your hands down his body."

"Yes, of course," Môshii said with a hesitant smile, yet she gave him a few pets before withdrawing. "His fur is soft; I had heard the fur-" Here, her face crinkled in thought before smoothing out, "stabbed a hand when touched?"

"Yea, it does that. It's kinda like a sandāsu, but a 'dāsu's fur is all needle-fine quill-like things, while a konpan's fur is only some of that, and small quill-like things within the fur."

Strictly speaking, they weren't true quills, more like barbs, but the anthology worked as far as the girls cared.

"You know a lot, Anzu-san."

"Yea..." Janine said, shifting before glancing at Fumiko, then back at Môshii, smile thin. When she next spoke, her voice held a tone common to all born to some sort of power. It was the kind that made one sit up and take notice. "Call me Shinozaki."

Môshii's face was priceless as she looked to her cousin then back to Janine, and if she hadn't been an Islander Fumiko would have felt sorry for her. But, Islanders should know better; after all, Kanto was _the best thing_ that had happened to them, and so they should know the faces of who was who in the Kanto League at the very least.

It was a credit to her people that Moshii at least knew the Shinozaki name.

"If you don't mind," she started, keeping her voice even despite the smugness she felt, "w-we... We'd like to- to be on our way."

"They don't mind," Janine interjected before either could reply, recalling the venonat. "It was nice to meet you, Moshii-san, and I hope your Journey is kind to you." She turned to Fumiko with an expectant look. "Come on, let's head out, Fumiko."

"Ah... yes... Sorry, Ito-san, Moshii-san," the Kasahara girl mumbled, giving the pair a sort of sorry shrug as she recalled her dratini then scurried after her bestie.

"How rude," Janine muttered when they were out of earshot. "You'd _think_ Islanders would know better."

"Yea," Fumiko agree with a short but firm nod. "But, let's not think on that. What do you think your first catch will be?"

"Dunno," the ninja said, shoulder bumping the other girl. "Maybe an nazonokusa or korinku. What about you?"

"I guess... I kinda wanna find a poppo or bīdoru."

"Really?" Janine blinked, peering at the older girl.

"Y-Yea," Fumiko stuttered, voice growing stronger the longer she spoke. "There was this Trainer -Nanako-san- a few years back, remember? The one with the supiā and tekkanin."

"Don't forget the nukenin."

"Those things are creepy!" Fumiko protested, shivering at just the thought of a shedinja. "Bug or not, they are part ghost and that automatically makes them creepy. They don't even eat, and I heard they steal souls."

"That's just a story and you know it," Janine griped, even as she wrapped an arm around the shorter's shoulder in a manner of support. "Anyway, the tekkanin are better. I remember watching her match for the Third against the Lieutenant. His raichū couldn't even hit it."

"I remember that, yea. It was kinda epic, but the real show was between the supiā and biriridama," she said, gesturing and sketching the battle out in the air as she spoke. "It moved so fast, and I remember dad talking about how it was a battle-bred because of some of its moves."

"What, like the Bug Bite?" Janine asked, cocking her head.

"Yea. Kinda like your konpan, I guess."

Janine laughed, pulling away from the other with a shake of her head, smile on her face. "Yea, something like that. Come on, you wanna walk, or get a RaK to the treeline?"

"Walk, of course! I heard they got a kabutopusu and omusutā on display outside the 'Zone. I wanna see it!" Fumiko said, darting forward a few paces, then turning, seemingly dancing on the spot. "Hurry up, Anzu!"

* * *

 **Clarifications**. The main criteria for this is if I do not make it clear within the narrative at some point.  
 _M.M./Move Machine_ \- The Japanese name for T.M./Technical Machines.  
 _RaK (rent-a-kēshī)_ \- Basically rent-an-abra.  
 _Sekichiku_ \- Fuschia city  
 _Wild-1_ \- A large chain of wilderness survival stores found in the Fuschia province; many larger 'Marts will have a Wild-1 store attached that is geared towards Trainers.  
 _betobeton_ \- Kantan pronunciation of muk's Japanese name.  
 _sandāsu_ \- Kantan pronunciation of jolteon's Japanese name. Dāsu is common slang for it.  
 _nazonokusa_ \- Oddish's Japanese name.  
 _korinku_ \- Kantan pronunciation of shinx's Japanese name.  
 _poppo_ \- Pidgey's Japanese name. bīdoru - Kantan pronunciation of weedle's Japanese name.  
 _supiā_ \- Kantan pronunciation of beedrill's Japanese name.  
 _tekkanin_ \- ninjask's Japanese name.  
 _biriridama_ \- Voltorb's Japanese name.  
 _kabutopusu_ \- Kantan pronunciation of kabutops's Japanese name.  
 _omusutā_ \- Kantan pronunciation of omastar's Japanese name.


	6. FIVE First Capture

Sorry for the wait on this! I've gone back and edited the previous chapters a bit to make them flow better, so if you could go back and read them, it'd be much appreciated. No warnings, and from here on out, there will be no warnings unless it veers outside the ones already given for the story on a whole.

* * *

"IDs please."

Even knowing without a doubt they were both so very _banned_ from the Safari Game part of the Zone, they handed their pokedexes over without a word.

"I'm sorry, but we can't allow you into the Safari Game Zone," the woman said calmly after a moment.

"It's alright. We're aware," Janine said without emotion. Fumiko didn't blame her.

Koga wasn't just a Gymleader and head of a Gymfamily, but the Head of the _entire_ police force within Fuchsia's jurisdiction. She'd heard from Janine that no amount of pleading or whining with her father had changed facts. If anything, it had probably contributed to the fact they couldn't enter until they were adults. A single foot in would be enough to induce a lifetime ban, or worse, land them with a short stint in jail with a red mark on their records _forever_. Unfair and over the top – _way over the top_ if you asked them, but it wasn't something that was up for discussion.

 _Ever._

Even her parents had agreed. There was something terrifying about eerily calm anger, more so when it came from her parents.

The way they'd used to sneak in had also been closed off and security tightened. The safariball location changed. The only remote upside? They'd inadvertently caught several poachers shortly after the incident, but even then, it'd been a miracle they hadn't run into any trouble. A miracle that Fumiko had even seen and caught Minryu; had been _allowed_ to keep the dragon.

Yet, they'd do it all again in a heartbeat, nevermind Janine was from a Gymfamily. Was the Gymleader-to-be. At least the press hadn't gotten wind of the true details. It'd have gone viral in a heartbeat if they had.

"If you still wish to see the Safari Zoo, it's five hundred 'en each," the lady at the entrance to the 'Zone said as she handed the pokedexes back with a smile. The use of 'en over yen gave her away as Sinnoh-born, but the girls said nothing.

Sinnoh was _better_ than Johto; it was the birthplace of the League. It _deserved_ respect.

"Yea, that's all we wanna see," Fumiko managed to stutter out while Janine nodded, seeming to fold in on herself out of shame.

"Paying together, or-?"

"Together," Fumiko chattered as she dug out two five hundred yen coins, placing them in the money tray and pushing that forward, blissfully ignoring reality and the fact she was effetively broke now. Janine had paid for way more than she should have, so this was the least she could do.

The woman took the money, and in short order the pair were asked to present their wrists for the bracelets which showed they'd paid the entry fee, each one snapped on by the employee. Unlike the heavier, clunkier red banded ones that allowed access to the Game Zone, these were lightweight and silvery, banded with a bright blue that signalled 'Zoo only access. Bright turquoise lights glittered like jewels, signalling it was active. "I should warn you: Your IDs are now in the system. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what will happen if you try and enter the Safari Game Zone."

"No, ma'am," Janine said even as she did her best impression of a turtle, shoulders up to her ears and arms crossed. A sulky look completed the picture. "We understand perfectly."

"Yea," Fumiko said with a gulp, one hand coming up to rub her arm where the 'chip lay. Her eyes wide as she thought of the staffed gates one had to pass through to enter the Safari Game Zone, and all the technology inbuilt into them. The same technology they used with shoplifters and those banned from stores. They were basically criminals when it came to the Safari Game Zone, and while she didn't know how the 'chip in their arms was detected, she assumed some kind infrared was used, because that was used in almost _everything_. It'd detect the chip and light up the strobe-lights to almost comical effect, were it not for the sound the things made. To say nothing of the _sound_ the bracelets emitted.

Being on the receiving end of tech wasn't as cracked up as it was made out to be.

"Then, please, enjoy your time," the lady said with a slight bow.

The girls bowed, then scurried into the Safari Zoo, more than happy to escape into relative anonymity and away from the keen eyes of others in the queues to get in. While the weight of the bracelet was only slight, no more than a handful of grams at best, it was still an uncomfortable reminder of reality and the girls hated it, Janine more than Fumiko.

Even without everyone, hopefully, unknowing, they felt like pariahs. But the chances where slim, though the girls could hope.

"So," Janine said with a slight laugh and smile once they were in the Zoo itself, "where to first?"

"The omusutā!" Fumiko said, grabbing the other by the wrist, and all but dragging her towards the display with single-minded determination. Janine let her, seeing no reason not to start with the Fossil-mon.

"Fine, but then we have to see the rakkī."

"Deal!"

* * *

The omastar's tank was small, about two metres wide and maybe three metres deep at the deepest, with a sharp, sloping bank of concrete and a light scattering of sand and soil and a few sparse bits of limp kelp and sea-grass planted at the bottom, most of it under the clear water. Like all pens in the Zoo there was the faint shimmer of a barely there pale-blue forceshield, this one laced with the dark crackle of an inbuilt APF, effectively preventing anything psychic getting in or out.

As soon as they arrived Fumiko pulled out her pokedex, eager to try it, while Janine headed for the info-sign. She pointed it at the creature, and after a second or so the 'dex whirled into action with a picture that wasn't quite accurate to life, but allowed her to get a good look at the sharp beak used to bore into prey.

"A prehistoric Pokémon that died out when its heavy shell made it impossible to catch prey." Unsurprisingly, the 'dex's voice was a genderless monotone as it read out a quick standard factoid for the species, drawing only from the Kanto dex-net's database. Fumiko poked it again, only to get the same databyte. She frowned, then shut it with a huff. Not fair. She wanted to access the Inta-dex now, not wait until she had either three badges, or owned the pokedex for a year.

"Huh." The shell was vaguely shaped like a segmented oval spiral that was maybe ninety centimetres long, and didn't look that heavy in the water. Yet, the thing was moving slowly, the blue skin mottled and patchy in places, with the shell much the same. Its eyes seemed half glass too. It was freaky. But... the pokedex was likely true; anyway, it was a Fossil-mon. There wasn't a lot known about them, and with how costly it was to revive fossils, never mind finding them in the first place, it wasn't worth the effort to study them. Find and sell to those willing to pay the prices, yes. They couldn't even be bred with a ditto, for Zapdos' sakes.

Which was mindboggling, because, according to her teachers, the species bred with everything.

Otherwise, there wasn't much to look at and they seemed to just missed feeding time, if the remains of the shellder in the water were any clue.

"We missed feeding time," Fumiko said with a sigh as she made her way over to Janine, pokedex once again stuffed in her bag.

"Yea, but according to this," the brunet tapped the information sign for emphasis while the other hand pushed a strand of purple-brown hair behind an ear, "there's not much to see, unlike say feeding an uindi or tsubotsubo."

Fumiko was unable to repress the full-bodied shudder as the memory of the arcanine's jaws crunching down against Numui rose alongside the taste of bile that she swallowed back with a gulp. Her hands fisted, twisting the bag's strap until her knuckles were white.

It'd been months. _Why_ was she still thinking about it? It was _weak_. She shook her head as a hand came up to grasp her silver pendant, fingers closing over the familiar shape of Mew. The cold silver was a much-needed comfort. "Don't remind me!" It was sharper than she meant.

Janine jumped slightly before wincing with a guilty look. "Sorry, I didn't-"

"It's fine." Fumiko's voice was flat, emotionless even as she looked away, rubbing her arms as if to ward off a chill that not even being drawn into a hug could ward off. "Um... wanna go see the rakkī?

"Mmm... Nah. I can see it anytime, and-" she shrugged awkwardly, squeezing the shorter's shoulder. "I kinda wanna start the Journey for real."

"Really? But we have all the time in the world...?" At least, she thought they did.

"Yea, but, you know, make some good memories for our first day as Trainers."

"Y-Yea. But first? A selfie?"

"Might as well."

They made sure to get the omastar in both selfies before they headed back to the entrance to return the bracelets. Outside, they took another set of selfies, this time in front of the Safari Zone sign.

Janine tossed that one up on her twitter with the caption " _At the Zone with Fumiko :D!_ "

It ended up with almost 70k retweets; half them hating on Fumiko for one reason or other.

* * *

"So..." Fumiko began not long after they'd crossed the treeline. It was more an effort to break the relative silence of the bush than anything. "What happened in the raid?"

"Do you really want to know?" Janine asked tonelessly, twigs and dead leaves crunching with each step she took, careful to step around the faded dung. Here and there, fresh, ponyta-red dung lay, revealing the trail had recently been traversed by rangers.

"Yes. You said you'd tell me later," Fumiko huffed, hopping over one of the fresher pieces without even a blink. "I'll hold you to it, An-chan."

Janine smiled tiredly and sighed, raking a hand through her hair to tug at the ends. Then, it dropped to her hip. A thumb hooked through a belt loop. "They killed several of the officers with Father, and it _wasn't_ just stolen property."

"Huh?" Fumiko blinked, taken aback. Janine using 'father' was never a good sign. Ever.

"It was trafficking and harvesting, and-" Here, the girl's voice broke as she shuddered, crossing her arms as if to ward off an unseen chill. "They – My uncle -Arata- is in the hospital, as are several others."

"W-What?" Fumiko stared wide-eyed, mind whirling with the implications. Janine's Family was a Gymfamily; they were powerful and in control and _nothing_ bad ever befell them! Yet to fall to the Rockets... That. Sure, everyone knew the Rockets were bad; it just was a fact of life. "He– _how_?"

"Injected poison." Janine's voice hitched with emotion, hands fisting uselessly against her arms as she stared ahead. "He could _die_ ; my uncle could die, and there's _nothing_ they can do. It's like– If it was the typical ones, we could fight it in a click, but-"

Janine wiped at her face as if that would stop the tears and Fumiko did the only thing she could think of: she hugged the younger and lead her to the side of the path where they sat down. "It's not, is it?"

"No– it- I– It's a double-hybrid!" Janaine's hands fisited useless agaianst the ground.

"But... yo-you deal in toxins..?"

It wasn't exactly a secret given the types they trained.

"It's shīdora mixed with something, then mixed with _another_ hybrid." Tears started to fall as Janine spoke, sniffing every so often. "That much I know, and dad– dad refuses to tell me any more, but it– they got them, but-"

"It was bad."

Janine nodded furiously. "He's on life support. Not even a rakkī egg could help."

Fumiko knew she'd gone white. Chansey eggs were known to help human and pokemon; for them not help... that was beyond unthinkable.

She did the only thing she could think of. She pulled her bestie into the tightest hug she could manage.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as Janine turned her head against her shoulder. The girl's shoulders shook as she cried her heart out, the tears comthing loud and thick, mixing with everything else, but she didn't mind. Instead, Fumiko stroked her back. The older Trainer wanted to cry as well, but someone had to keep an eye out. They were still close to the city and farmland was not five hundred metres past the hiking trail, and the truckway lay somewhere beyond that. But that didn't mean anything, not out here in the wild.

You could be five metres from safety and still be attacked. Wild pokemon were merciless.

"He'll live," she said sometime later once Janine's tears had stopped. "Y-Your grandfather's an expert in toxins."

"Yea. He is." Janine's voice was as shaky as her conviction.

"Well... L-lets go look for pokemon to catch?" Fumiko offered with a small smile.

"You're an Esper," the younger said with a sharp nod as she stood, offering a hand and hauling Fumiko up to join her. "Let's go see what we can find."

* * *

Three hours later found them trekking through the forest when a Fumiko spotted a rattata. In an instant, her Starter's pokeball was in her hand, but it didn't stay there long. With speed honed in school, the ball was thrown a few feet away. "Hinoa! Scratch!"

The fire-type burst out of the ball with a sharp cry and charged the startled pokemon, the Scratch connecting solidly.

"Again!" Fumiko ordered as she caught the ball on the rebound. Her starter followed her command with ease, and the rattata flinched with a growl as a critical hit landed, drawing blood. But it didn't last long; the rat darted forward in a Tackle. It connected, knocking Hinoa back a little.

"Um- Uh- Use scratch again!" Fumiko called, not quite sure what else to do other than keep attacking. Once again, the Scratch connected, this time on the side. Once again blood was drawn and it wobbled on its feet before shaking itself. It let off a weak Growl and Fumiko didn't need her 'dex to know the strength of Hinoa's attacks had gone down.

She glanced at Janine.

"Don't look at me- _look at the fight_!" Janine hissed, crossing her arms in the No gesture. Fumiko recoiled.

Right, of course, keep her mind on the battle. She looked back in time to see the rattata Tackle Hinoa again, gearing up for another. Think- think- "Ah- Scratch it!"

Hinoa obeyed. Fumiko dug into her bag and pulled out one of the pokeballs, and once Hinoa was clear she threw it at the wobbly wild pokemon. It smacked the rat on the head and sucked it in in a burst of light.

Once, twice, three times the 'ball rocked before it dinged, the too-bright white lights of the indicators changing to the normal brackish white.

"I did it!" Fumiko cried, hopping over to where the pokeball rested. Scooping it up, she stared at it, her reflection showing what she felt: a wide grin that stretched from ear to ear. "I did it!"

"H'rrahh," Hinoa added, scooting herself over to her Trainer and staring up at the ball.

"Oh, yea, return," Fumiko said absently, recalling the Starter, hooking Hinoa's 'ball back on her belt while still staring at the one that held her brand new pokemon. "Anzu! Did you see?"

"I did," she said with a smirk, hands on hips. "Congrats. What are you gonna name it?"

"Uh– Rakcchi works," Fumiko said, peering down at the pokeball as she finally brought out her pokedex to register it as hers. "Um... H-how do you tell the gender of-of a rat?"

"It's got balls if it's male," Janine said flatly. "But you can also use the 'dex to check."

"I can?" Fumiko blinked and Janine facepalmed.

"Yes. It was the final test?"

"Oh, right," Fumiko grinned sheepishly.

"Sometimes I wonder how you passed," Janine muttered while Fumiko held it up to the ball again. There was a ding, then the picture came up. Alongside it was the rat's stats. "It's a male, lv 4 with Guts."

"Ohh nice. What's Guts do. From memory," Janine said, plucking the 'dex out of Fumiko's hand and holding it behind her back.

"That's mine!"

"I know. Answer the question."

Fumiko pouted then sighed. Her bestie could be a bully at times. "It... It boosts the a-attack if it's suf-s-suffering f-from a status condition?"

"Yea, what else?" Janine asked, peering at the shorter girl with a squint. "Come on, Fuchan. You got like 95% on the last test."

"B-Because of you. Um. Um. I-It doesn't lose attack d-due to burn, a-and Guts' Attack b-boost doesn't um activate if it's Ice'd, and uses a move that will thaw it out. Like Flame Wheel."

"Pretty much," Janine grinned, handing the 'dex back to its owner, who stuffed it back into the bag. "And, no. You did that all on your own. You stayed up studying when I'd fall asleep on my books."

"...Y-yes, but-" Fumiko shifted uneasily.

"No buts, Fumiko. Anyway, don't come to rely on the 'dex. If you're not paying attention in a battle, _you_ could end up hurt, or _worse_."

"I guess. Uh. It.. It has, um, Body Blow and Tail Wag a-as its attacks," Fumiko said, swallowing at the end of the recitation, trying hard not to fidget.

"Hmm. Yea. That's good enough," Janine nodded. "It's unlikely we'll battle Rookies from other nations."

"I'm glad," Fumiko said with a relieved sigh. "Wanna go train?"

"Always!"

* * *

It was just before dusk of the first day when Janine pulled them aside, hand covering Fumiko's mouth as she yanked them behind a tree. "Shhh!"

Fumiko's eyes were wide with confusion.

"Don't make a noise. You don't wanna get their attention."

 _Their_?! Fear welled in the pit of her stomach. Was it the Rockets? It had to be the Rockets. She whimpered.

"Nidokin'u," Janine whispered as she released the shorter girl. Fumiko's eyes widened in horror. _That_ was worse than the Rockets. She pointed up in a clear question.

Janine shook her head, nodding around the tree.

Slowly, Fumiko peeked out, eyes growing even wider at the sight of _two_ wild nidoking facing off against each other while several nidorina grazed in the background. Wild nidoking were rare but they did exist. While no-one was quite sure how they evolved without the use of a moonstone, the predominant theory was there were small fragments all over the Fuschia region. Gather enough in one place and they'd make a nidorina or 'rino evolve. To see two in one place like this... Had they wandered into the middle of a struggle for a harem? She hoped not.

Nidoking where highly aggressive and even trained ones had been known to gore humans if they perceived a threat to their harem.

Or so they'd been taught, and Fumiko did not want to put the theory to test.

She watched the two pokemon face off, only going somewhat bipedal when they crashed into each other. If it was an attack, she didn't know what it was, but they seemed to enjoy the fighting as they did it again and again with the odd bellow amongst the grunts and growls.

That made sense. _All_ pokemon liked to fight; if they didn't, then why would they fight on command?

"How strong are they?" she whispered, back against the tree and praying it hid her.

"At least lv 16. But..." Janine poked her head out and eyeballed them. "Probably _way_ higher. We won't stand a chance."

"But– I've got Minryu?"

"Fumiko!" Janine hissed, shaking her head again. "Even I wouldn't send a _pet_ into battle. Think!"

"But- Minryu's a _dragon_! She knows E.M Wave-"

"But she doesn't know any dragon moves, and what makes you think she knows how to fight on command?" Janine shot back with a shake of her head. "Being a Trainer doesn't mean putting _yourself_ in danger. Let's go this way."

Even if she wanted to disagree, to claim they wouldn't be in danger because they could just Thunder Wave the whole harem, the words died in her throat at the look in Janine's eyes. "...Alright."

"If we find a nidoran you can have it," Janine promised.

"Yea. I'll call it Nicchan!"

Janine's laugh was as soft as the smile. "That's a good name."

"Thanks!"

She really wanted a nidoran now; the final evolutions were strong, powerful. Having one would be fun.

* * *

 **Clarifications.** The main criteria for this is if I do not make it clear within the narrative at some point.  
 _rakkī_ \- Kantan pronunciation of chansey's Japanese name.  
 _uindi_ \- Kantan pronunciation of arcanine's Japanese name.  
 _tsubotsubo_ \- Shuckle's Japanese name.  
 _Nidokin'u_ \- Kantan pronunciation of nindoking's Japanese name.  
 _shīdora_ \- Kantan pronunciation of seadra's Japanese name.  
 _Body Blow_ \- The Japanese name for Tackle.  
 _Tail Wag_ \- The Japanese name for Tail Whip  
 _E.M Wave_ \- Short for 'Electromagnetic Wave', the Japanese name of Thunder Wave.


	7. SIX I want does not mean I get

A shout out goes to my wonderful betas, who helped co-write and pick some of the pokemon in the chapter. Without them, this chapter would not have been half of what it is.

* * *

"Where are all the nidoran?!" Fumiko knew it as more of a whine, but she didn't care.

"Maybe you keep scaring them away?" Janine offered with a side-long glance.

Fumiko scowled with a short groan. "It's been _forever_!"

"More like five days."

"With _no_ nidoran this side of the 'fence!" Fumiko retorted angrily. "Just... I don't get it! We _saw_ nidokin'u fighting. But... we haven't seen any 'rina or nidoran..."

"There _has_ to be if there's wild nidokin'u..." It was almost a whisper, yet Fumiko knew what it meant. If they couldn't find any wild nidoran, 'rino, or 'rina, then the pair they'd seen had been illegally dumped instead of handed over to the proper authorities to be either destroyed or auctioned off to the highest bidder.

"Then where are they? Other than in the 'Zone," she added, shooting a dark look in the direction of the fence.

The mostly invisible forceshield fence, that, in Fumiko's mind, kept her from her prize. Throwing a pokeball at the first nidoran she'd seen had resulted in a busted 'ball when it'd collided with said fence _and_ spooked the pokemon. She'd had to reclaim the 'ball - leaving it lying around when it was registered to her was _stupid_ \- and leave before any Safari Zone rangers showed up to investigate. Because they always did, and with their ban from the 'Zone, it was unlikely, Janine said, the rangers would buy 'honest mistake'. _Which it was_ , because while the massive pylons that made up the fence posts were generally visible, the fence itself wasn't and it could be up to two kilometres between said pylons.

Even in the height of winter, when the Eye's wash of blue-ish light was strongest and the moon full and round, the fence remained unseen; Fumiko believed Janine -and the thousands of photos on the internet- over the movies that claimed it was visible. And shorter than it was.

Now every time she saw one of the creatures behind the fence line, Fumiko scowled petulantly at it. She really, really wanted one _just_ to have it now, and it felt like it had been forever since they'd set out and seen the nidoking, not the stupid five days.

Even keeping the trail didn't help, and it wasn't like they could realistically stray from it to find one and hope to keep the looming deadline. That wasn't even considering that going off it with the pokemon they had was asking for trouble. For all there was farmland on the other side, that meant nothing. It was five hundred metres of bush forest with dense undergrowth, and they couldn't see far enough in, anyway. That meant they could get turned around or ambushed or lost, or walk straight into another nidoking. Or _worse_.

Everyone knew the stories about people dumping unwanted non-native pokemon here. Just last month the rangers had found a mated shiftry pair who, according to the brief reports, had gotten into the Safari Zone, and well. To say they'd made short work of a tauros understated things, to say nothing of the attempted attack on a few humans. That was enough to get them destroyed. Protectors of Hoenn's old-growth forests or not, they were apex predators that Blooded.

But she really, really, wanted that nidoran, not some stupid seedot that probably didn't exist here.

"You'll find one," Janine said with a small smile.

"But... Can't we just say we got lost?" Fumiko all but whined for the nth time, kicking a small rock as they walked the trail. The rock skittered along the ground and then off to the side.

She didn't bother to try to reclaim it and instead kicked another rock. This one went straighter but still ended up veering off to the side. Fumiko shrugged. The ground was uneven and purely natural, unlike the park paths back in the city. she just had to practice more, that was all.

"We've been over this," Janine said tiredly even as a rueful smile tugged her mouth. "Dad would kill me, possibly quite literally."

"But that's not fair. It's _supposed_ to be our Journey!"

"No, it's not. But... I am technically underage."

"So what? You got a 'dex." And the guy giving them out hadn't even batted an eyelid or asked to see any special permissions card.

"Uhh... You do know I'm a _Gymleader's_ daughter, right?" Janine said with a slightly baffled look.

"Well, yes. I've been to your house before, and you once tried to sneak me into the Gym when it was under maintenance!"

"Yes, I did. We got caught by one of the Gymtrainers," Janine retorted, hands on hips. "Not that I blame him, what we tried was _dangerous_."

"That's not the point!" The older huffed. It wasn't like they'd have been doing anything other than watching workers working. What was dangerous about that? "What's your family got to do with it?"

"A lot, Fumi'. A lot." Was the simple reply.

"B-but..." That sounded so unreasonable. Just because they were a Gymfamily, they got to say what Janine did? That didn't sound right.

"And," Janine continued before Fumiko could say anything else. "I'm also _still_ grounded."

"S... So? Y-you're his heir and close enough to me in birth date..." If nearly three months counted as close, and in Fumiko's mind, it was.

"To the Gym, and that's a maybe. If Kotaro shows promise or desire..." Janine shrugged awkwardly.

"I don't want him to. I want _you_ to be Gymleader. I reckon you'd be _good_ at it," Fumiko stated as she walked backwards. "Anyway, you have so many poison-types~"

"Hahaha... Just a few," Janine said as she scratched the back of her neck with a nervous laugh, never mind the full belt of pokeballs at her waist, one of which, Fumiko was sure, was a clan-trained abra for emergencies. "Don't forget yours."

"Naty's not poison though," Fumiko said, even as her hand brushed against the natu's pokeball, as if to make sure it was still there. That she hadn't dreamed the whole capture up as a way to cope with seeing one and failing to catch it to replace Numui. Who she was over, thank you very much.

Naty was hers; Shigeru would never get near him. "And it was luck!"

The other girl shrugged. "True. You have the makings of a good team already. A hitokage, koratta, miniryu, and now a neiti."

"Mnhn," Fumiko shook her head as she spun back around. "Naty's a pet! Not a fighter."

"It's still a good team. You're lucky."

Fumiko cocked her head to the side, turning to face her friend slightly. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well... My personal team's lacking," Janine said with a small laugh.

"Oh!" Fumiko clicked her fingers with a nod, as if she suddenly understood what her friend meant. "Like the korinku?"

Or whatever Sinnoh called the electric felines. Fumiko knew she should care more about what they were called, given the shinx line was native to Sinnoh. But it wasn't like it mattered. The chances of finding a wild pride in Kanto, and actually catching a shinx, was ridiculously low. But even so, they had been on the lookout for one.

"Yea. But I'll probably get it from a breeder or put in an order, so..." Janine shrugged at the end, and Fumiko squashed the unbidden flash of jealousy, even though she knew Janine would do the same for her if she asked. "What about you? Didn't you want a bīdoru?"

No pidgey though, because Fumiko had changed her mind after the capture of Naty and now wanted a strong spearow. Eventually, that was.

"'eh." She nodded, then bit her lip. Yet another reason not to stray too far from the path. Forget the beedrill, just stepping near a weedle would startle the thing, and that could be just as hazardous to one's health. "But, the ones here are forest or honey, right?"

Those were the ones with the dark black bands, though honey-beedrill's were slimmer.

"Fumiko -you- Tell me you don't want the _mountain_?"

The girl beamed and Janine face-palmed, stopping in her tracks from the sheer stupidity. "At least tell me _why_ you want one of _them_."

"W-Well... It's said they're fast in battle, up there with sandāsu, and are more defensive." Compared to the average forest dwelling beedrill, at any rate, but that went without saying.

"And more dangerous. Just because Jōto's Matsushita Tsukushi-san can actually control Matagi doesn't mean _you_ can. You saw what happened to that Himura guy, Reggie-san, and he survived! Others have _died_!" Janine hissed, shooting a glare from between her fingers. "Plus, Matagi's a queen! Going looking for one is inviting major trouble."

Because for all weedle were plentiful and easy to find, most were drones or infertile males. Finding a queen was like finding a shiny in the wild. Very rare, if not impossible. Even most breeders refused to sell queens.

"What if I got it as a bīdoru?" Fumiko said with a whine, not to be deterred. Never mind people had died trying to train one. Never mind Bugsy had _repeatedly_ said that as a queen, Matagi was hard to control. What did they all know? They'd probably tried to be _friends_ with the thing. Friends with battle pokemon _never_ worked! And what did a seventeen-year-old know? If they could do it, then so could she, right? "I could raise it up and it'd be really strong and loyal and I could even make it go mega! W-Well," she added, misinterpreting Janine's incredulous look. "After-"

"No." Was all the Gymleader-to-be said as she started walking again, eyes hard. "It's like poking the fox."

Fumiko's scowl and evil-eye said it all, but the dark, imperious look from Janine was enough to have the older girl snap her mouth shut with a click. Koga's daughter indeed. "Fine, I suppose it can't be helped. What about bīkuin?"

As if vespiquen were easier to control.

"Hive-bound," the teenager said automatically with a shiver. "Forest supiā are better, anyway."

"They're not as powerful though," Fumiko muttered darkly. Hive-bound or not, having a strong bug would be cool. Maybe later, when she had a badge, she could try. A beedrill would be nice on her team.

"No, but they are fast. Not as fast as say a ri'biiohm-"

"That's from Alola and it's _ri-bom'-bī_ ," Fumiko corrected, looking rather proud. "But I'd never get it."

"Yea, sure," Janine said with a wave of her hand, not bothering to ask how Fumiko could pronounce the foreign name. Not when she knew Hikaru almost never shut up about the place or the cartoons. "Does it _have_ to be a supiā?"

" _Yes_!"

"What about a s't'raik'?" she offered, even as Fumiko blinked at scyther's butchered pronunciation. It sounded halfway between Kanto and Johto and just wrong. Maybe Janine had done it in defiance of her upbringing. "It wouldn't be as a fast as a sandāsu in the arena, though."

Fumiko frowned, considering what she knew of the pokemon. Known for speed, a jolteon could outspeed almost everything on the battlefield, and scyther was part of that list, but she wasn't sure where on it, other than faster than its own evolution. Only a handful of pokemon could out speed jolteon, and of those, most were Megas. It did not help most battlers ran 'Agility'. Once that got going, even a ninjask was at risk. "What about the wild ones? up in the Tenshōheki? you know, around the Shin'to temple?"

"Built more for endurance than speed, from what I know," Janine said after some thought. "Think built like a rīfia or burakkī but sandāsu sized. They don't have the speed."

Fumiko wrinkled her nose. Leafeon alone were stocky and large, as were Umbreon. For all the ones from the Tenshōheki mountains, also known as 'Heaven's Barrier', looked lithe and graceful from afar, sizing an umbreon or leafeon build down to the average jolteon was terrifyingly ugly up close. "It's... still close, right?"

"What, the s't'raik'?" At Fumiko's nod, Janine continued. "I guess. Though if you want to run rings around things with a bug, you want a tekkanin."

"I'd have to buy from Hōen and that costs more than I have!" She huffed, kicking another stone as they continued to walk, watching it bounce off to the side again. Ugh. Maybe her aim was off? "And... mum and dad already spent the money on the Shiny, gave me a lot before I left and that's all gone now, and they'll get Hika a zenigame for her birthday."

And then Kaori would somehow 'find' Black Glasses for the squirtle.

"You could visit," Janine pointed out. "You don't have to do an unbroken."

Only the most serious of Trainers aimed for that, with most who tried burned out around the Sixth badge. Fumiko peered at her friend. "Isn't Vol-ku-nuh-san trying for an unbroken?"

"He's Akio and Misaki-san's son. It's expected," Janine said with a shrug. "Himura Masaru-san's looking after the Gym with his wife, Tomoko-san, until he takes it up."

"I thought his uncle did?"

"No," Janine shook her head, the fading purple strands catching the light as they walked. "He doesn't want anything to do with the Gym. If Volkner-san doesn't take over, it'd pass to his cousin, Kouji-san."

"Ohh."

"I think Shin'ō's stricter than Kantō when it comes to Gyms," Janine said flatly.

Fumiko nodded, assuming her friend knew what was what even it came to the Gym world. There was probably a wiki article about it online if she really wanted to know. "He has a sandāsu, right?"

"He does, yes," Jaine nodded. "It's really new though. I think he evolved the ībui after his Fifth, and he was headed for his Sixth at Yosuga. I heard that Mikan-san'll be joining him again like she did for his Third."

Fumiko ignored the small pout from her friend, face scrunched as she tried to remember who the Gymleader for Hearthome was. It wasn't Volkner, or Jasmine, obviously, but it was a foreign name. "Fa-chi-na Merissa?"

"Fantina Melissa," Janine corrected with a slight head shake, and not for the first time, Fumiko wondered how the girl could fit all the information in her head and remember it. "Fantina's been the family name for at least a hundred years."

"That's weird."

"It's Shin'ō though," Janine said with a slight hand flick as if that explained the weirdness. For all Fumiko knew, it did.

"Oh. Well. I _want_ a supiā." Fumiko declared with a nod of her head and a stomp of her foot, bringing the conversation back to something that wasn't politics or who was marrying who or something like that. It was boring. "If I catch a bīdoru, then I'd have a supiā in time to fight Hideaki-san."

"You'll need more than bugs for Hideaki-san..." Janine muttered. "But it's not like Yamabuki's going to be your First."

If they'd lived closer to Saffron, then maybe Sabrina could have been the First.

"Yea. Kuchiba's gonna be it. It's why I want a nidoran." Maybe? She really just wanted one, even if she didn't know what she'd do with it. "They're-"

"Not the best counters to the Lieutenant's T-1 pokemon," Janine interrupted. "They are good though and they can become tanks, but not the best for this battle. You'll be against a pikachū and koiru, _both_ Gym-bred."

Fumiko groaned. Gym-bred meant battle-bred, meaning they'd have been bred with certain moves like Janine's venonat was, and she didn't even know what moves a Gym-bred magnemite could have. She'd have to hit the 'net when they reached Mossgreen. "So I'd have to get a diguda or sando or saihōn."

"Sort of?" Janine said, cocking her head in thought. It'd be easy to find a diglett or sandshrew, but a rhyhorn would be tricker. "Hinoa's a good counter for the koiru though."

"Really?" When Janine nodded, Fumiko's smile seemed to grow even wider before she stopped and stared at the other girl. "What about you? You- Your own journey...?"

"I'll get my badges. But. Well. I'll be training inside Clan grounds. Once the Elders think I'm ready, I'll be taken to a Gym." She offered a sad smile. "Sorry. I know we planned to travel together."

Fumiko sighed; she didn't have to hear the unsaid words to know plans had changed the moment they'd been grounded. It couldn't be helped. Instead, she grabbed the other girl's hand. "Do you get to choose, at least?"

"Yep! I've got dad as my Third."

Fumiko laughed, shaking her head as the grin did it's best to crawl back across her face. "I think that's cheating though. You know his team."

"Not really," the Shinozaki girl said with a shrug. "He's changing it up for our match."

"I'll make sure to watch when it's time. Promise!" Fumiko said, leaning against the other girl.

"I'll text you when it's time, Fu-chan," Janine said with a giggle before nudging the other off her. Only when she was a good few paces about from Fumiko did she turn, smirk in place. "Come on. Let's get as far as we can before nightfall. I haven't shown you the month's issue of _Renmei-Ji_ yet. It's got you-know-who in it~"

"I want to see _now_!" Fumiko whined as she hurried to catch up to Janine. "Show me!"

"When we make camp~. Now come on!"

* * *

"Lighting a fire _sucks_!" Even if it was her turn, both tonight and in the morning.

"No it doesn't," Janine said with a laugh.

"It does too!" Fumiko shot back with half a scoff, staring at the small fire she'd managed, barely if you asked her, to start while Janine had been setting up the tents. Though small, it blazed within the ring of stones the girls had cobbled together in the makeshift campsite. Under the Eye's wash of blue-ish light, it seemed almost otherworldly and ethereal. But then, everything seemed like that when it was a winter night and the Eye was like some tiny, far off star-bright moon always full. Had the actual moon been full, it would have been twice as bright and they might have seen some of the Moon's Eye night flora in bloom.

Not that it was late enough in the night to see that; the sun had only just dipped below the horizon, casting the forest into eerie half shadows that were quickly deepening and the temperature was dropping. At least it wasn't like the north of the country; some parts still got snow or hit the minus overnight. "I'm not good at it."

Even if she'd passed her tests in Survival with almost flying colours.

"Huh? Janine blinked, finally glancing up from where she'd been rummaging through her bag, presumably to find the _Renmei-Ji_. "You did great. This your best one yet."

"Yea, after like thirty minutes," she shook her head; she was exaggerating, but time wasn't the point. "You set up the tents in that time, and I barely made this." She frowned. "It'd be easier if I could use Hinoa."

Janine groaned. "You didn't get an E just to throw it away."

"But..." Fumiko's shoulders slumped. The lure of her Starter was strong. Yet, on the other hand, having a fire-mon _now_ didn't mean she'd always have it - and Fumiko shoved that thought away. Of course she'd always have Hinoa. To not was unthinkable. "I'm not like you. You grew up learning this stuff outside the classroom."

In less than ideal conditions.

"So? You managed to do it!" Janine said with a shake of her head, smile still on her face. "Even _I_ struggle."

"Y-Yea," Fumiko muttered as she started digging around her bag for something they could heat up for dinner. She thought it a lie; she'd never seen her friend struggle with anything. "But, you-"

"No," Janine interrupted. "You managed to start a great fire. No buts on that, Fumiko."

"Ok..." The Kasahara girl said with a weak smile. Her fires were small, not that great and she struggled to light them. Put her in the most ideal conditions, and she'd be as good, if not better, than Janine any day. "Umm... Do you want yakitori and rice?"

"Sounds good. That's the Yuunosuke brand, right?"

"Yea. I think it's in your bag. I have the yakiniku and noodles. We can have that tomorrow night."

"I'll have a look."

"Did you find it?" Fumiko asked after a minute or so.

"I did, and I found this." Janine passed a rolled up magazine to the other girl before retrieving the canned meals, and one of the water bottles along with two flavour packets to make cordial. "You look over it while I take care of dinner."

"It's brand new," the brunette breathed as she unrolled it, staring at the glossy cover and ignoring the temptation to smell it. The headlines were typical attention-grabbing things, and Fumiko easily ignored them. At least it wasn't as bad as say _Seichojo_ or one of the local Fuchsian gossip rags.

The pokemon on the cover was _the_ attention grabber.

In the flickering firelight, the golem's rocky 'shell' seemed almost made of gold and the skin of its head and limbs pale gold. The red eyes seemed wild, untamed. Full of power and pride. Yet Fumiko knew it'd never see the battlefield; not if the Trainer leaning against it was who she thought it was. That, and it was a _Shiny_.

Unless it was wild-born, Shiny pokemon were never used in battle and even Shiny Contest-mon 'fought' under heavily modified rules. Everyone knew they were useless when it came to fighting anyway, like crossbreeds.

Light brown skin, short spiky hair. Pale green shirt and black jeans. Sturdy hiking boots and a grin that was pure business. She guessed he looked handsome, in a rugged kind of way. Forrest, the twenty-one-year-old heir to the famed Clan that held much of the mining rights to the mountains around the Pewter regiopolis.

He was also Pewter's newest Gymleader, having taken over from his father, Flint, after the man had stepped down to focus solely on the business side of the Iwayama family.

"Yea, it's the newest one," Janine called over her shoulder as she set about heating up the tinned meals. "Takeshi-kun's also on the cover."

"Eh?" Fumiko tore her gaze from Forrest. True enough, Brock was there, the almost-thirteen-year-old second son beside his brother, arms around a gold-tinted, crimson leafed bonsly. Compared to Forrest, Brock was gangly, like he'd hit a growth spurt recently. They'd dressed him unassumingly in a dark vest over a white button up, jeans, and hiking boots. Unlike his brother, his belt held only a single pokeball. Fumiko glanced over towards to Janine. "Oh. Is the feature on them?"

"Yea," came the reply amidst the clink of bowls, cutlery and cups being readied.

Fumiko nodded as she started to leaf through the magazine until she found the section she wanted, though she had to flip back a page to stare at one of the pictures of the Top Eight Victory Trainers. Nanako 'Casey' Hashino, the girl with the ninjask. "Eh, An-chan! Nanako-san's one of those who made it through the Champion's Road!"

"Seriously? How many badges does she have now?"

"Eight." At least that if she'd been allowed to even go _near_ the Champion's road to Victory and Glory. Fumiko hadn't quite kept up with her, so when the girl had dropped off the radar after her Fourth, it had been easy to assume she'd gone back to school or gotten a trade or something like that. That she couldn't hack the travelling Trainer lifestyle.

Or worse still, she'd started to think of her tools and weapons as _friends_. Pokemon _weren't_ friends. Even a pet was a _pet_. But if she was in Renmei-JI, well, she was _noteworthy_. She'd soon, if not already, be approached by those wanting her in the family.

The girl was older now, at least eighteen, but she wore her signature yellow and black haori -a good luck charm, she claimed, from her father- and her hair was still a riot of purples, pulled back into two low ponytails. Her team was with her, with the Meganium behind its master, while the beedrill and ninjask hovered to one side. An electivire, golduck, and lopunny completed the picture.

'As for Casey, it's nickname from my time in Orre,' the blurb said.

 _At least the nukenin's not there_ , Fumiko thought with a shiver, never mind why anyone would want to go to Orre. Janine was wrong. Shedinja stole souls.

Otherwise, there wasn't much on the page that stood out. Most of them seemed to be older Trainers, and Fumiko doubted any of them would even reach Lance, let alone Agatha. Maybe Nanako would, but she'd likely fall short of the glory as well.

Fumiko flicked to the next page, and squealed. "He looks so good alongside gādi."

He being Lance, of course, and it was more like covered in baby growlithe and cleffa as he sat against the side of the pen. Even though it was obviously a carefully crafted photoshoot, the man didn't seem to care that he had a lap full of baby pokemon. His smile seemed brighter, golden eyes not as hard. He was, of course, dressed casually. Or, as casually as tailored slacks and black polo shirt could be. Even his boots were custom made; dragon-skin in all likely hood. _Probably from his own dragons,_ Fumiko thought. _That shade of white only exists on the belly of a dragonair._

Even his hair was casual and his fringe made a rare appearance, pushed to one side as it was. Fumiko wondered how much was naturally wind tussled and how much was hair and lighting, because when it came to the future Champion -and Lance would be the long-awaited next Kanto Champion, one day-, he had to look perfect.

The only other photo with the brief article had Fumiko's eyes widen then narrow in indignation. " _That's not fair_!"

"What's not fair?"

"That- _That_! _He_ got to get a picture with Lance!" Fumiko huffed, turning the magazine around so Janine could see the photo in all its confronting glory. There, standing beside Lance and Agatha was one Shigeru Oak, the boy's smile little more a smug smirk. His brown hair was as wild and spikey as always, purple shirt tucked into light brown slacks, the collar popped, just like he'd done with his school uniform. His shoes looked like hiking boots, the kind that would never see a real trail, because Immortals forbid he had to _work_ even a day in his life for anything.

Boring and stupid and so _smug_ , like the whole of Kanto was his toybox. As if he could have anything he wanted simply because he wanted it. Fumiko scowled as a memory rose. It was of the time he'd tried to force a trade for Minryu, and the hissed promise -threat- of making her pay, one day, because she'd dared deny an Oak of all people. Lance's smile didn't reach his eyes. Had the Oaks again tried to arrange a match between them and one of the Tatsuno family?

It was possible.

"His grandfather and Okiyoshi-san probably arranged that," Janine said with a headshake. "I don't think anyone had a choice."

"Just because he's an Okido..." Fumiko huffed as she turned it back around. A quick search of her bag produced a marker, and soon she'd scribbled over the smug face of the Oak Heir. "Hmph! He _ruined_ a nice picture."

Furiously, she turned the page, hoping for a full write up of the photoshoot, only to find Wallace Byeon alongside some scrap of barefoot, dark-skinned girl dressed in a blue sundress with flowers in her hair, apparently on some beach somewhere. Wallace himself was dressed casually yet elegantly in some sort of long sleeved, pale aqua shirt with a dark blue band hemming it, a knitted scarf of some kind, and what could only be the most expensive brand-name jeans ever. she didn't even want to think about how much money the shoes had cost. The rich of Hoenn seemed to love throwing their money around.

At least, for all he was rich, the man had better dress style than Tucker, even if Janine claimed he wasn't as good at the Contest Battling artform, who'd apparently done contests since he was a child.

Fumiko's face scrunched anyway, unable to see what Janine saw in either Wallace or Tucker. Neither looked as good as Lance, and while Wallace tried to pull off a cape, he couldn't. Yet, the small blurb claimed the contest star and the girl had apparently come to Kanto for some Super Contest. The teenager almost brushed past them, were it not for the huge monstrosity of a dark blueish squid-like jellyfish thing that floated behind them. It easily dwarfed them and was probably of a height when feraligatr stood upright, making the already short girl seem tiny. "Is that a 'burungeru'?"

"Yes!" Janine squealed, but soon it was replaced with a touch of dismissiveness. "Apparently, it's the girl's."

"Her's? What is she, a groupie?"

She looked like it, and Fumiko couldn't see anything that resembled a belt for pokeballs, unless the jellicent's 'ball was out of sight.

"I wish she was. No, she's, like, his second cousin and an Arrangement," Janine griped as she pulled the heated food away from the fire and started to transfer it to the bowls. "I _hate_ her worse than Tucker's groupies."

"Anzu!" That was alarming direct, even for Janine.

"What? It's true," the other girl sniffed as she handed a bowl, then a cup of lime cordial, to Fumiko. "Here."

"Thanks."

"Not much's known," the Shinozaki heir continued on, even as they started to eat. They'd already fed their pokemon, though the venonat would probably be let out again to hunt a bit. "She doesn't even have a Twitter!"

"Huh?" Fumiko boggled, suddenly understanding that _this_ girl was likely the reason Janine had thrown herself into following Tucker more than Wallace, only to go back and forth between them as her favourites in the Contest world, especially after Serina Hideaki had bowed out last year. Daisy Oak was good, much like her aunt Satsuki, but they were Oaks. "Are you-"

"Yes."

Fumiko felt her brain break a bit. Social media was the way to get your name out there and stay in contact with everyone. Twitter one of the biggest worldwide, with Line the biggest in Tojoh, and there where other sites as well. Tumblr and Myspace, and there was a site called Facebook, too, that was taking off. Fumiko herself was one of the few mutuals across all of Janine's accounts, even if her own were private locked with _any_ form of private messaging disabled. Her _trusted_ friends had her pokegear number.

Not that stopped the hate mail from those jealous of her friendship.

It wasn't her fault Koga had chosen a public school instead of continuing with tradition, and that her school had benefited from it.

"What's known is that she's nice. Like, nice-all-the-time _nice_."

"Oh." Fumiko hadn't known that, and judging from the tone it was probably the fake nice that dominated Janine's social circles outside school. _At least_ , Fumiko thought to herself, _now I'm out of school, I've left that behind_. "But she's family?"

Janine swallowed the mouthful of food and snorted. "Adopted, but I don't know the story behind it. I do know the Byeon Clan are matrilineal and notoriously _selective_ with who marries who. Sons especially."

"Oh." Fumiko shrugged a bit. A lot of Old Clans were like that anyway. Most even went as far as secluding the mothers throughout pregnancy and the first few months after a child's birth. Matrilineal Clans were rumoured to practice deliberate and targeted infanticide towards males, but that was wholly unproven. Fumiko was a bit bothered by it, yet at the same time, an Old Clan could do as it pleased and without solid, undeniable proof, everything remained in the realm of rumour.

It was the same with why an Old Clan would choose adoption.

"They probably don't want the 'stain' of an outside woman," Janine said, complete with air quotes. "She was probably selected for him, but with the media blackout around her..."

Fumiko nodded. "She's not good enough?"

"Of course not! How could she be? It's like everything about her's fake," Janine growled, stabbing a chopstick into a piece of meat with more force than needed. "At least Wataru-san's single."

"No-one's good enough for him," Fumiko said with a smirk.

"But you, you mean," Janine corrected, and the pair soon dissolved into laughter after Fumiko's nod, face as red as a cherishball. When it died down, Janine said, in all seriousness: "I could see if dad would introduce you."

Fumiko somehow went even redder. "Y-Y-You would?" she finally managed to stutter out, voice small.

"I would, yes," she said with a nod. "Plus, Okido-san's likely mentioned Minryu to him, so that gives you an _in_."

"R-Right..." Fumiko said, half curling in on herself. If she'd been brought up at all, it likely hadn't been in a good light. Lance was someone _in power_ , who, for all he was Cool and Awesome, was still a member of an _Old Clan_ , and an _Elite_.

He'd _believe_ an Old Clan member when they talked. That was how the world worked. But, _she_ had the dratini, a pokemon worth just under a million yen but often far more. For all the Safari Zone used them as a draw, getting one was on par with a chansey, if not _rarer_. As a result, not many people had them if they didn't have some hefty connections to Dragon Clans or way too much money, let alone a young teenager who hadn't even been a Trainer at the time.

It as why it had been a _miracle_ she still had Minryu, and at the memory of Koga's proclamation that she could keep the reptile, Fumiko's pride swelled enough that her lips twitched into a brief smile. No-one would _ever_ take Minryu from her. "It does."

"Don't worry about. If it does happen, it'd be a while before dad could do it anyway."

"Politics?"

"More like he's still mad at me. I'd do it again, you know. It was _fun_."

"It was, yes," Fumiko said adamantly before staring at the magazine. "Who else is in it?"

"Nagamori Sasaki, Himura Shiniji, Sonezaki Misaki, and some girl named Purin," Janine said with a hand flick.

"Who are Purin-san and Himura-san?" She knew who the other two were. How anyone could not know who Giovanni Nagamori, and Misaki 'Bill' Sonezaki were was beyond her. Giovanni had been the youngest CEO of _Kabutomushi Holdings and Research Inc._ when he'd taken over at twenty-five, _and_ he'd become the Gymleader of Viridian in the same week. In contrast to that, the second youngest, his mother, Himari Nagamori, had been thirty. It was said he had a son, as well. Sources claimed the boy's name was Hibiki; that he was home-schooled and rarely seen. _For the best_ , Fumiko thought, _if he was the heir to Silph's rival company_.

By contrast, Bill was a known figure and Socialite, on top of being the heir to the family who'd invented the Storage System. Everyone learned about the family in second grade, and Bill had made it a point to visit every prominent Kanto primary school _in person_ at least once every three years.

"Himura-san's the younger brother of Reggie-san," Janine said blandly. "Unbroken run or something."

"What? But if he started at fourteen that'd be..." _Impossible_. Most runs aimed for two years or over to be outliers.

Janine shook her head. "I think he started at eighteen; he had gone to a good boarding school."

"New money?" That, or his family valued him as much as the first son to send him to a boarding school, but even then, that wasn't the handicap she'd once thought it was.

"It seems like it..." the Gymleader-to-be muttered. "But he's headed for Shin'ō."

"And Purin-san?" If that was even her real name, given it was like naming a child 'Jigglypuff'.

"Someone who started at eighteen, after coming out of boarding school. She had an unbroken run all the way to Wataru-san-"

"Oh! Her. She was the one who was so crushed they were dragging her Starter's body off the field," Fumiko finished with a snort. Who the hell took a typhlosion into a match with fire-breathing dragons? That was like taking a squirtle to empty the ocean. "I remember hearing that it had to be put down."

"Hn. Sad, that. It was a female-" Janine started, only for her head to whip around, eyes narrowed as she stared at something in the shadows further out from the campfire. "Did you hear that?"

"Huh? hear what?" All she'd heard where the sounds of the forest slowly coming alive for the night. "I don-"

"Shh." The girl held a finger to her lips, and Fumiko swallowed, but remained silent, doing her best to listen and find anything out of the ordinary.

Nothing stood out that she could think of, yet from Janine's worried, pale face, there was something out there.

Fumiko's heart skipped a beat even as Janine shifted, eyes darting from shadow to shadow. Fumiko would have helped, but it was better to allow the ninja to do this. Janine had been trained from birth in the arts, while Fumiko had not.

That being said, the brunette hoped against hope that it wasn't a wild pokemon, but even she knew it was an all too real possibility. One she was in no way ready to deal with, given how savage wild pokemon could be when they attacked, often for now reason what so ever. Oh, pokemon loving groups claimed there was always a reason, but Fumiko didn't believe that for a second. Wild pokemon were wild, untamed and untrained. They didn't know not to attack people, and as such, they would.

Fire was said to scare them away, yet at the same time, attracted them as well.

Was that what had happened? Had they attracted something to them without knowing?

Something moved in the shadows and Fumiko almost screamed.

What's that? Fumiko whispered, eyes wide as she pointed to where the thing stood.

It wasn't close enough to fully see it, but what she could see in the flickering firelight was possibly the ugliest, weirdest, beefed up looking bellsprout-thing they had ever seen. A glance at Janine did not reassure Fumiko.

"Tsubomitto," Koga's daughter croaked out. "Shit."

* * *

Please let me know what you think, as it will be passed onto the betas who helped with the chapter.


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